Two new studies have found that eating almonds can help blood sugar levels. It was especially true for people with borderline blood sugar concerns.
The studies were funded by the Almond Board of California. That will make some people wary. It’s always good to scrutinize research paid for by organizations that will benefit from positive results. However, the results were published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. They are reputable journals.
One study took place over three days. They found that eating 20 grams of almonds 30 minutes before eating sugar significantly decreased blood sugar spikes and hormone reactions in people with blood sugar concerns. That makes almonds a possible way to preemptively prevent spikes at mealtimes.
The other study was three months long and used overweight people with borderline blood sugar concerns. They were split into two groups, both of which received diet and exercise coaching. They kept diaries of their food, exercise and blood sugar levels. One group ate 20 grams of almonds before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The other was a control group.
The group that ate almonds saw reductions in weight, BMI, waist circumference and better hand strength. They also had improved fasting blood sugar, fewer spikes after eating, improved insulin resistance and better cholesterol levels. The most impressive thing was that 23.3 percent — almost a quarter of the nut-eaters — no longer had blood sugar concerns after three months.
Researchers believe the nutritional composition of almonds is responsible for the positive benefits. “The natural combination of monounsaturated fatty acids and soluble fiber could be responsible for the positive metabolic outcomes,” said lead author Dr. Anoop Misra, Professor and Chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases, and Endocrinology. “Almonds may slow stomach emptying, which could help people ingest less food and fewer calories to promote weight management, which is important in helping reverse the course of [borderline blood sugar concerns] back to normal blood sugar regulation.”
The study had limitations. It didn’t have a huge number of participants. They were all in India, so it might not be true across all races and diets. Everyone in the study had borderline blood sugar concerns. However, these early results are promising and deserve further study.
We’re fans of using diet to control health. It’s an easy and cost-effective way to help yourself. You can improve and prevent serious medical concerns by eating a healthy diet. While this study isn’t definitive proof that almonds can reverse blood sugar concerns, it does show that they can aid blood sugar levels after meals.
Dr. Seema Gulati of the Nutrition Research Group, National Diabetes, Obesity, and Cholesterol Foundation agrees. “Dietary strategies like consuming almonds 30 minutes before major meals offers a good option to decrease the spike in blood glucose levels after meals.”)
It’s essential to be mindful of the calories and fat nuts add to your diet. However, when you account for them in your day, they can be a wonderful way to boost weight loss and aid blood sugar.
