Dietary Nuts and Pulses Beneficial in Diabetes

Weight change from baseline was not significant, although there was a trend toward more weight loss in the nuts-only group. This was particularly interesting, given that more daily calories were consumed in this group (2,072 kcal), compared with the muffin-only group (1,932 kcal), Dr. Kendall said.

Previous studies by Dr. Kendall and his colleagues, as well as other studies, have shown this same effect, he said. “What we've found is that nuts are not entirely digested and there's an excretion of about 15%-20% that are simply not absorbed and pass through the gastrointestinal tract.”

Previous unpublished work by his group has shown that nuts have favorable effects on postprandial glucose response to common carbohydrates such as white bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta. “You get a graded reduction in glycemic response depending on the dose of nuts,” Dr. Kendall said.

Dietary intake of pulses—such as chickpeas, beans, lentils, and peas—can help diabetic patients reduce postprandial glycemia.

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