Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In 54 middle-aged subjects, pistachio use reduced fasting blood insulin by 22%.
There are currently 29.1 million Americans with diabetes (21 million diagnosed, 8.1 million undiagnosed) that costs our healthcare system $245 billion each year (1). Just as alarming however, are 86 million Americans on the verge of type 2 diabetes, with a condition called “pre-diabetes”. This condition is defined as having fasting plasma sugar levels between 5.6 and 7.0 millimoles/L (2). As a result, finding ways to help patients with pre-diabetes is a priority.
Now a new study (3) suggests that pistachios may benefit pre-diabetics. The study involved 54 subjects between the ages of 25 and 65 and fasting blood sugar levels between 100 and 125 milligrams/deciliter. They were instructed to consume a diet that included 2 ounces of pistachios (57 grams) which made their diet 50% carbohydrate, 35% fat and 15% protein or a control diet comprised of 55% carbohydrate 35% fat and 10% protein for 4 months. After 4 months, the subjects underwent a 2-week “washout period” and then switched diets. Each subject’s diet was individually calculated using World Health Organization equations adjusted for metabolism and physical-activity levels.
The researchers noted that a pistachio-supplemented diet for 4 months produced the following results:
| Pistachio Before/After | Change | Control Before/After | Change | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fasting blood sugar(milligram/deciliter) | 116.24/111.08 | 4.5% decrease | 108.06/114.78 | 6.2% increase | < 0.001 |
| HOMA-IR | 4.22/3.53 | 16.4% decrease | 3.10/4.07 | 31.2% increase | < 0.001 |
| Fasting blood insulin(milliUnits/milliliter) | 14.3/12.26 | 14.3% decrease | 11.44/13.95 | 21.9% increase | < 0.001 |
When suggesting how pistachios elicit these benefits on blood sugar control, the researchers cite a 2001 study (4) showing pistachio consumption to increase two stomach hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, which affect blood sugar control.
For the researchers, “Chronic pistachio consumption is emerging as a useful nutritional strategy for the prediabetic state” and that “pistachios have a glucose- and insulin-lowering effect, promote a healthier metabolic profile, and reverse certain metabolic deleterious consequences of prediabetes.”
Source: Hernández-Alonso, Pablo, et al. “Beneficial effect of pistachio consumption on glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, inflammation, and related metabolic risk markers: a randomized clinical trial.” Diabetes care 37.11 (2014): 3098-3105.
© 2014 by the American Diabetes Association
Posted January 8, 2015.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- “National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014” posted on the CDC website
- The Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. Follow up report on the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 2003;26:3160e3167
- Hernandez-Alonso P. Beneficial Effect of Pistachio Consumption on Glucose Metabolism, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Related Metabolic Risk Markers: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Diabetes Care 2014;37:3098–3105 | DOI: 10.2337/dc14-1431
- Yabe D, Seino Y. Two incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP: comparison of their actions in insulin secretion and b cell preservation. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 2011;107:248–256
