Following a healthy overall diet can reduce a woman’s risk of Type 2 diabetes ““ especially in minorities, new research finds.
Researchers from Stanford University’s School of Medicine studied thousands of women across racial and ethnic lines for up to 28 years as the women provided information about their daily eating habits.
Results showed that women who followed “healthy” diets ““ low in saturated and trans fats, sugar-sweetened drinks, and red and processed meats and high in cereal fiber, polyunsaturated fats, coffee and nuts were less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
Minority women ““ especially African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans ““ are at higher risk overall for developing Type 2 diabetes and serious complications from the disease, including heart disease, stroke and blindness, said Dr. Jinnie Rhee, lead author of the study and a nephrologist at Stanford.
But, the study published Jan. 15 in Diabetes Care found, healthy eating reduced the risk of the disease by 55 percent in Hispanic women, 48 percent in white women, 42 percent in Asian women and 32 percent in African-American women.
When results from all minority women in the study were compiled, researchers found that those who followed the healthiest overall diets had a 36 percent lower risk for diabetes than those who followed the least healthy diets.
For every 1,000 women, researchers said, healthier eating habits can prevent diabetes in eight minority women per year, compared with five white women.
Type 2 diabetes remains a growing health threat worldwide as obesity rates continue to increase. In the U.S., about 29 million people have diabetes, while 47 million people worldwide have it, the researchers noted. The disease could be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.
Maintaining a healthy weight, healthy eating and regular physical activity are all key strategies in diabetes prevention.
