A US research team working at the University of South Florida has suggested that
eating less meat and sugar could help diabetes sufferers. Replacing animal protein
with vegetable protein could also help, reports the BBC. After six months on a
diet recommended by the research team, Type II diabetic patients were able to
reduce the amount of insulin they took or in some cases cut it out altogether.
Type II is often exacerbated by obesity, so a healthy diet is a key component
of the treatment process. The 51 patients who took part in the study reduced the
number of times they ate meat from two or three times per day to just once, for
a six-month period, and replaced it with equal amounts of vegetable protein. They
also eliminated sugar from their daily food intake. Of 31 patients who managed
to adhere to the diet for the full six months, three cut their insulin dose by
50%, two discontinued it altogether, and a further ten were able to come off other
medications.
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They also saw cholesterol levels improve, with total cholesterol levels down by
an average of 32% yet "good" cholesterols up by around 10%.
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.
For more information please visit: http://www.endo-society.org/
