PEANUT BUTTER, NUTS MAY WARD OFF
TYPE 2 DIABETES IN WOMEN

By Becky Ham, Staff Writer
Health Behavior News Service

Researchers compared nut consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes among 83,818 women, aged 34 to 59, who were enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, which was established in 1976. It's still unclear how a handful of almonds or a peanut butter sandwich might reduce the risk of diabetes, but earlier studies have suggested that unsaturated fats in these foods help regulate sugar and insulin levels in the body.

"Nuts are also a rich source of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and of plant protein, which could also be beneficial," say study authors Rui Jiang, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues.

The study is published in the Nov. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Women participating in the nurses' study completed questionnaires on their eating habits between 1980 and 1996, noting how often they consumed certain foods. The frequency of their nut and peanut butter consumption was broken down into categories of "never/almost never," "less than once a week," "one to four times a week" and "five or more times a week."

During this same time period, the women also provided information on their body weight, smoking and drinking habits, family health history, physical activity and multivitamin use. None of the women had a history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study.

The researchers documented 3,206 new cases of type 2 diabetes among the 83,818 women in their study sample. After adjusting for the influence of body weight and the other variables mentioned above, Jiang found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes steadily decreased with increased frequency of nut consumption.

Nuts contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, high fiber and high amounts of magnesium, all of which have been associated with insulin sensitivity. These items may be the primary reason why nut consumption seems to reduce the risk of diabetes, but they're probably not the whole story, say the authors, who note that other unknown vitamins, minerals or plant proteins could also play an important role.

Eating more nuts didn't lead to appreciable weight gain among the women in the study, although nuts are a high-fat food. Citing recent reports that link increased nut consumption with decreased risk of heart disease, Jiang and colleagues recommend "regular nut consumption as a replacement for refined grain products or red or processed meats, which would avoid increasing caloric intake."

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting approximately 16 million people in the United States and 135 million people worldwide. The severe medical and economic drain caused by complications related to the disease make diabetes prevention a public health priority.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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