EGX closed mostly higher on July 9    Gold hits over 1-week low on stronger dollar    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Sisi commissions panel to investigate Ramsis Telephone Exchange fire – PM    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    Egypt, Pakistan boost healthcare ties – Cabinet    Escalation in Gaza as ceasefire talks remain fragile amid mounting humanitarian crisis    Egypt's electricity, public enterprises ministers discuss expanding renewables in energy-intensive industries    UK, Egypt strengthen cooperation on green transition, eco-tourism, and environmental investments    Egyptian authorities race to contain fallout from fatal telecom fire    CPME shareholders approve EGP 2.8bn acquisition of Qardy, Catalyst Partners Holding    Egypt, UNDP discuss expanded cooperation on medical waste management, human development    Egypt, Somalia leaders discuss strategic partnership, counterterrorism in New Alamein    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Egypt's FM, China's Wang discuss Iran-Israel escalation    Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Blueberries and Apples Lower Diabetes Risk
Published in Amwal Al Ghad on 18 - 03 - 2012

Eating more blueberries, apples and pears may be linked to lower risk of diabetes, according to a new U.S. study.
These fruits are loaded with flavonoids, a natural compound present in certain fruits, vegetables and grains, which some research has tentatively tied to heath benefits such as a lower risk of heart disease or cancer.
"People who ate a higher amount of blueberries or apples, they tended to have a low risk of type 2 diabetes," said An Pan, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health who worked on the study.
The findings show an association, he added, but don't prove the fruits, themselves, prevent diabetes.
The new work, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, parallels a study published in the same journal last year associating flavonoid-rich fruits with a reduced risk of high blood pressure.
According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 26 million Americans have the disease. It's caused by a defect in the body's ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that converts glucose in the blood into energy.
Type 2 diabetes can usually be controlled with exercise and diet changes and without insulin.
For the new U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded study, researchers tracked the dietary patterns of approximately 200,000 men and women for up to 24 years.
The participants, who were enrolled in three large ongoing studies of American health professionals, filled out regular questionnaires about how frequently they consumed certain foods and beverages of a standard portion size.
None had diabetes at the outset, but about 12,600 of the participants were diagnosed during the research period.
The lightest blueberry eaters in the study reported getting less than one serving (half a cup) of the fruit per month, while the biggest blueberry consumers had two or more servings per week.
Pan's team found that blueberry-lovers had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate no blueberries. People who ate five or more apples a week also had a 23 percent lower risk compared with those who didn't eat apples.
The researchers suggested that certain flavonoids especially high in those fruits might be behind their possibly beneficial effect on diabetes risk.
"We found consistent results across the three (study groups) that apples and blueberries are beneficial for type 2 diabetes," Pan told Reuters Health.
That was after taking into account other risk factors, such as body weight, cigarette smoking and a family history of diabetes.
These results jibe with an earlier Finnish report related to consumption of berries and apples and diabetes risk.
But these previous studies were much smaller in scope, Pan noted.
He and his colleagues reported no financial conflicts of interest.
While fruit sugar raises blood glucose levels rapidly, other substances in fruit such as fibers and pectin may have diabetes-related benefits, said Dr. Loren Greene, a professor of medicine at New York University who was not involved in the study.
"It argues very nicely for the consumption of whole fruits rather than fruit juices," she told Reuters Health, citing recent evidence that fruit juices may increase the risk of diabetes.


Clic here to read the story from its source.