Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Can Be Prevented With Healthy Fats

According to a recent study, healthy and controlled diet rich in beneficial fats can help improve the glycemic status and can prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to this research, consumption of foods rich in healthy fats like nuts, seeds and vegetable oil etc. along with the restriction of refined carbs and animal fat products can help prevent diabetes. 

The study was conducted by a team of researchers under the supervision of Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. The study was later published in PLOS. During the course of the study, the researchers evaluated the results of numerous studies (about 102) which included nearly 4,660 study subjects.

The aim of the study was to identify the types of fats that can play a beneficial role in prevention of type 2 diabetes as there have been increasing reports of diabetes and insulin resistance around the globe. No wonder, diabetes has been hailed as one of the modern epidemics plaguing the world. The researchers did an in-depth analysis of the effects of various types of fats and carbohydrates on the principal risk factors that contribute towards diabetes. 

Unsaturated fats vs. Saturated fats

Some of the studies that were analyzed entailed diets comprising entirely of unsaturated (mono and polyunsaturated) fats and carbs. The effects of such a diet on the body’s metabolism, blood sugar concentration, insulin levels, insulin sensitivity and synthesis were closely studied. It was observed that unsaturated fats considerably lower the amount of sugar in the blood stream, contributing towards improved insulin sensitivity. 

This belter blood sugar control by unsaturated fats also exerts beneficial effects on the heart health since each 0.1% decrease in the levels of HbA1c (the indicator of diabetes prognosis) helps lessen the likelihood of heart problems by 6.8%. 

The Future Implications

Until now, the research about diabetes was widely distributed between individual studies with no single study having compared the results of all of these diabetes trials. This study has helped integrate that information, comparing their findings in a cohesive form so that their implications can be better understood. 

These findings are said to have a profound effect on diabetes prevention and control since they will help the doctors and, more importantly, the general public, understand that not all fats are bad and that consuming unsaturated fats can help them prevent diabetes through better glycemic control. 

Consumption of polyunsaturated fats was observed to yield better control over blood sugar than either the saturated fats or the carbohydrates, highlighting the importance of unsaturated fats in controlling diabetes and improving insulin sensitivity of the cells. 
The researchers have stressed that the consumption of unsaturated fats in the form of walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybeans, safflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower seeds and oil, fish (like salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines etc.) is extremely important since they are rich sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Only through active preventive measures, especially diet, can the monster of diabetes be curbed.