An indulgent piece of dark chocolate or a hot cup of tea could help fight diabetes.
New research linked consumption of flavonoids (which can be found in items such as berries, tea, and chocolate) with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, a University of East Anglia news release reported. Consuming high levels of these foods could help lower insulin resistance and improve blood glucose regulation.
Researchers looked at 2,000 people, and found these food groups also significantly reduced inflammation that can lead to serious conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
"Our research looked at the benefits of eating certain sub-groups of flavanoids. We focused on flavones, which are found in herbs and vegetables such as parsley, thyme, and celery, and anthocyanins, found in berries, red grapes, wine and other red or blue-coloured fruits and vegetables," Professor Aedin Cassidy from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said in the news release.
"This is one of the first large-scale human studies to look at how these powerful bioactive compounds might reduce the risk of diabetes. Laboratory studies have shown these types of foods might modulate blood glucose regulation - affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes. But until now little has been know about how habitual intakes might affect insulin resistance, blood glucose regulation and inflammation in humans," she said.
The 2,000 all-female study participants were asked to estimate their total dietary flavonoid intake as well as how often they consumed providers of six subclasses of flavonoids. The researchers took blood samples from the women to measure glucose regulation and inflammation.
The team found that those who consumed high levels of anthocyanins and flavones has lower insulin resistance (a "hallmark" of type 2 diabetes). This means people who consume plenty of "berries, herbs, red grapes, " and wine are less likely to suffer from the condition.
Those who a lot of anthocyanins-rich food groups also had lower levels of inflammation; those who often consumed flavones had higher levels of a protein (adiponectin) that works to regulate metabolic processes such as glucose levels.
"What we don't yet know is exactly how much of these compounds are necessary to potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes," Cassidy said.
"This is an exciting finding that shows that some components of foods that we consider unhealthy like chocolate or wine may contain some beneficial substances. If we can start to identify and separate these substances we can potentially improve healthy eating. There are many reasons including genetics why people prefer certain foods so we should be cautious until we test them properly in [randomized] trials and in people developing early diabetes," Professor Tim Spector, research collaborator and director of the TwinsUK study from King's College London, said in the news release.
