Good quality carbohydrates, contained in particular in whole grains, would be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- The quality of carbohydrates changes their relationship to the body: good qualities they bring benefits, bad qualities they are harmful.
- Whole grains contain good quality carbohydrates that reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
You have to be careful with carbohydrates. Their overconsumption is associated “at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes”, recalls Kim Braun, researcher at the Erasmus University Medical Center. The latter led a study, with other researchers from her university as well as with the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, on carbohydrates in order to better understand their influence on diabetes. “We were interested in whether this effect was different depending on whether high-quality or low-quality carbohydrates were used, the latter including refined grains, sugary foods and potatoes.”, she adds. The results will be presented at the conference Nutrition 2020 Live Onlinea virtual congress organized by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
Carbohydrate quality changes everything
Researchers have found that replacing calories from saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, animal and plant proteins with high quality carbohydrates lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. analyzed data from participants who had taken part in three previous studies including 69,949 nurses, 90,239 other nurses and 40,539 male healthcare professionals.
These conclusions clearly show the influence of the quality of a carbohydrate, going from benefit to harm when it loses quality. “These results underscore the importance of distinguishing between good and poor quality carbohydrates when examining diabetes risk.abounds Professor Braun. Conducting similar studies in people from different socio-economic backgrounds, different ages and ethnic backgrounds will show how these results can be applied to other groups..”
Whole grains, benefits for other diseases
These good quality carbohydrates are mainly found in whole grains. These are present in brown rice but also in ingredients such as buckwheat (pancakes) or in wholemeal bread flour. In comparison to other types of cereals, those that are whole are higher in fiber and essential nutrients such as vitamin B, iron, folate, selenium, potassium and magnesium. In addition, whole grains are also associated with a lower risk of certain heart diseases, certain cancers and other health problems.
.
