Whole Grains May Improve Insulin Sensitivity

A recent report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that consuming whole grains may help overweight adults reduce their risk of type-two diabetes. The study found that insulin sensitivity improved in a group of overweight and obese adults when they consumed a diet rich in whole-grain foods such as brown rice, oats, corn and barley.

"Insulin sensitivity is a measure of how efficiently the body responds to insulin, the hormone responsible for depositing glucose (sugar) from the blood following a meal or snack, into cells throughout the body to use as energy," reports Reuters. "Patients with type-two diabetes become desensitized to insulin and as a result, their blood glucose can remain elevated. If not controlled through diet or medication, elevated blood sugar eventually raises the risk of heart disease, kidney damage and other problems."

"Insulin sensitivity may be an important mechanism whereby whole-grain foods reduce the risk of type two diabetes and heart disease," Dr. Mark A. Pereira from Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues conclude.

Moderator Comment: What do grocery retailers need to do to successfully integrate food into a Whole Health strategy? [George Anderson - Moderator]

• Whole Grains May Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Reuters Health