Legumes Prevent Diabetes: How?
Did you know that legumes prevent diabetes? Thanks to their important concentration of nutrients, including antioxidants, dietary fibers, proteins, vitamins and minerals, the regular consumption of these foods improves our metabolism and blood glucose levels. We will talk about it in detail in the following lines.
What is diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disorder characterized by an imbalance in glucose metabolism. Insulin is the hormone responsible for getting glucose into the body’s cells.
Sometimes the body does not produce enough insulin, or rather does not react to this hormone in the right way. As a result , blood sugar levels remain high for a long time and eventually diabetes occurs.
High blood sugar levels for a long time cause vision, kidney, heart and nervous system problems. Diabetes is also associated with the development of other medium-term pathologies. These include obesity, as indicated by an article published in the journal Biochimica and Biophysica Acta .
Incidence of diabetes in Italy
In recent years in Italy there has been an increase in cases of type 2 diabetes as a consequence of greater obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. In addition to appearing earlier than in the past, the incidence of type 1 diabetes is also increasing.
According to a study on the Epidemiology of Diabetes in Italy , in 8% of cases diabetes is type 1, while type 2 affects 90% of cases. Type 1 diabetes has a prevalence between 0.4 and 1 per thousand and mainly affects the youngest. Type 2 typically occurs in adulthood.
A separate discussion must be made for Sardinia which has one of the highest incidence of juvenile diabetes in the world, equal to 34 cases per 100,000 per year in the age group from 0 to 14 years.
Diet plays a direct role in the etiology of diabetes. Excess calories, high consumption of trans fats, simple carbohydrates and lack of exercise have been indicated as triggers of the disease. Following this, lifestyle changes and nutrition are the basis for preventing it.
Legumes prevent diabetes
“The consumption of legumes is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” To be exact, consuming 30 grams of legumes per day will reduce this risk by 33%. This is about 3 rations per week.
These results are demonstrated in the PREDIMED study (Prevention with the Mediterranean Diet) which involved a sample of 3349 people with cardiovascular risks during four years. Legumes have been shown to prevent type 2 diabetes, particularly lentils.
The aforementioned study explains that positive results can also be obtained by replacing half a day ration of pasta, rice and boiled potatoes with half a ration of legumes.
Similarly, the Mediterranean diet has proved highly effective in preventing type 2 diabetes. For this reason we recommend following a diet rich in foods such as:
- Dried fruit
- White meat
- Olive oil
- Blue fish
- Whole grains
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
The nutritional richness of legumes
Pulses are nutrient-rich foods, to the point that 2016 has been declared the International Year of Pulses by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The aim was to raise awareness of the health benefits offered by these foods in order to increase their consumption around the world.
Legumes are rich in vegetable proteins, fibers, minerals (iron, magnesium and potassium) and vitamins (especially of group B). In addition, they have a low glycemic index.
The amount of fiber contained allows the gradual absorption of carbohydrates which causes less pancreatic stress, according to a study published in 2015. For this reason, we can say that legumes prevent diabetes, but also keep it under control once diagnosed.
Which legumes prevent diabetes?
According to the PREDIMED study, we get the greatest benefits from consuming lentils. “The subjects who ate more lentils (about 1 ration per week) showed a lower risk, of at least 33%, of suffering from diabetes compared to the subjects who ate less (less than half a ration per week).”
However, other legumes are also effective in preventing diabetes, such as beans, chickpeas or peas. Red lentils are a variant of peelless lentils, require much shorter cooking times and tend to fall apart a bit.
Therefore, they are ideal for people suffering from intestinal gas or indigestion following the consumption of legumes. They are suitable for introducing legumes in children’s nutrition. We can cook a red lentil purée with pumpkin, leek or carrots for the little ones at home.
Legumes, a very healthy food
It is important to cook legumes in a healthy way. In winter it is advisable to cook them boiled together with vegetables, olive oil and maybe some white meat if you prefer. In summer, however, you could prepare chickpea or lentil salads, without forgetting the delicious and refreshing hummus.
