Less Processing May Mean Less Diabetes

08 Sep 2015 --- Experts believe they have found the solution to reducing type two diabetes whilst still allowing people to consume the foods they enjoy the most. By altering the physical structure of the fibre found in foods such as breads, cakes and pastries, the starches in these flours are released and absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream, leading to a reduction in insulin and thus a supposed decrease in diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Cathrina Edwards at King’s College, London, says that by altering the structure of the flour during processing, they were able to reduce the glycaemic response to these foods. White flour products would remain so because instead of adding fibre in the form of bran – a method traditionally used to achieve these results, the alteration of the milling techniques “preserve the fibre structure”, leading to white flour products which are “very effective at lowering glycaemic responses.”

Insulin can lead to diabetes because if it is released too frequently, the body can become resistant to it and fail to respond. Eventually, this insulin resistance leads to type 2 diabetes. The scientists in this study conducted experiments using porridge made from smooth white grains and porridge made with fibre-structure altered grains and found that blood sugar was 33% lower and insulin 43% lower two hours after eating the fibre-altered porridge.

Fibre reduces the insulin in blood by forming a network of protective walls around the starch – the component which is broken down into sugars. As the body works hard to break down the walls, sugar is released slowly over time with an almost drip-feed  effect, meaning insulin does not need to be released so suddenly. This not only avoids the insulin spike associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, but also the crash in sugar levels a couple of hours after eating starchy foods, which often leads to further sugar cravings By preserving more of the natural structure of the fibre found in the grain, the starches are protected from digestion and sugars are released more slowly.

The scientists who conducted the experiment say that it is relatively inexpensive to alter milling methods and ingredients would remain the same, so diabetic friendly foods would contain the same ingredients as more refined ones. Essentially the take-home message is, the more whole the food, the healthier, which is a message we have been receiving for quite some time. Simply, any food which is as close as possible to its natural state is healthier.

Diabetes and obesity are set to become the largest drain on NHS resources over the coming years, with diabetes already costing the NHS an estimated £10 billion per year.