Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Subjects consuming 300-450 grams of fatty fish and 100-gram bilberry portions per week saw a 21.2% decrease the total levels of glucose.
Metabolic Syndrome affects over 47 million Americans. It is characterized by a number of risk factors that include central obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen), increased blood pressure (130/85 mmHg or higher), and insulin resistance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar). Because Metabolic Syndrome consists of so many symptoms, it is also known as “Syndrome X” (1). The average yearly pharmacy cost for a patient with Metabolic Syndrome is $4,000 and it has been called “the most expensive disease you’ve never heard of” (2).
Now research (3) suggests that a trio of foods may benefit those on the verge of having metabolic syndrome. In the study, 106 men and women between the ages of 51 and 66, with impaired blood sugar control and at least two other aforementioned characteristics of metabolic syndrome (but not diagnosed with metabolic syndrome yet) were put into 1 of 3 groups for 12 weeks:
- Group 1 (Healthy Diet Group = 37 subjects): Participants replaced their usual cereal and bread products with those that produced a lower increase in blood sugar after consumption (called “post prandial glucose and insulin response”) contributing up to 20–25% of their total calories. The subjects also ate 100-150 grams of fatty fish (such as salmon, trout, mackerel) 3 times a week and consumed 100-gram bilberry portions 3 times per day, with other berry intake allowed at a maximum of 4 portions a week.
*Billberries were a focus of the researchers because they are rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, especially a type of polyphenol called anthocyanins (4) that have been shown to positively affect blood sugar health (5).
- Group 2 (Whole Grain Group = 34 subjects): The subjects consumed the same cereal products as in the Healthy Diet group but consumed their usual amounts of fish and berries (if they did at all). Additionally, they were given whole grain oat biscuits of which they were allowed to consume one portion per day on a voluntary basis. Biscuits contained 8–8.5 grams of dietary fiber and 16–18 grams of fat (4.3-7.7 saturated fat) per 100-gram serving.
- Group 3 (Control Group = 35 subjects): The subjects replaced their normally consumed breads with refined wheat breads (3–4.3 grams of fiber per 100-gram serving) and their normally consumed cereal products with low fiber products (0.6 grams of fiber per 100-gram serving). No bilberry intake was allowed and other berry intake was allowed 3–4 times per week. Fish was allowed to be eaten no more than once a week.
Participants recorded their food consumption with four-day food records.
By the end of 12 weeks, those in the Healthy Diet group saw a 10.5% decrease in the 2-hour postprandial glucose level (6.7 to 6.0 millimoles/Liter, p = 0.027) compared to a 7.6% decrease in the whole grain group (6.6 to 6.1 mmol/L, p = 0.058) and no statistically significant decrease in the control group (6.9 to 6.7 mmol/L, p = 0.81). When they looked at the total levels of glucose over the course of the 2 hours after eating (called “area under the curve”), those in the Healthy Diet group saw a 21.2% decrease (241 to 190 mmol/L, p = 0.027) compared to a 12.5% decrease in the whole grain group (233 to 204, p = 0.16) and no change in the control group (246 to 246 mmol/L, p = 0.84).
For the researchers, “In conclusion, our results suggest that diet rich in whole grain and low insulin response grain products, bilberries, and fatty fish…may be associated with improved glucose metabolism. Therefore, in long-term these dietary components may have a beneficial role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes in persons with impaired glucose metabolism.”
Source: Lankinen, Maria, et al. “Whole grain products, fish and bilberries alter glucose and lipid metabolism in a randomized, controlled trial: the Sysdimet study.” PLoS One 6.8 (2011): e22646.
© 2011 Lankinen et al. Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted April 3, 2014.
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:
- “Metabolic Syndrome” posted on the American Heart Association website.
- “Metabolic Syndrome: The Most Expensive Disease You’ve Never Heard Of”. Medical News Today May 9, 2005
- Lankinen M. Whole Grain Products, Fish and Bilberries Alter Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in a Randomized, Controlled Trial: The Sysdimet Study .PLoS One 2011;6(8):e22646. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022646. Epub 2011 Aug 25
- Maatta-Riihinen KR, Kamal-Eldin A, Mattila PH, Gonzalez-Paramas AM, Torronen AR (2004) Distribution and contents of phenolic compounds in eighteen Scandinavian berry species. J Agric Food Chem 52: 4477–4486.
- Basu A, Rhone M, Lyons TJ (2010) Berries: emerging impact on cardiovascular health. Nutr Rev 68: 168–177.
