How The Way You Eat Can Affect Your Diabetes Risk

There are many factors that could increase your risk for Diabetes.

Lack of exercise, poor diet, and exposure to nutrient-dense, calorie rich foods, have all been attributed to the rise in overweight and obese children and adults, but also to more cases of Diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition where your body does not produce insulin, due to the down-regulation of pancreatic beta cells.

However, in Type 2 Diabetes, there is either not enough insulin produced, or your body does not utilize insulin effectively.  Also called insulin resistance, could account for a large part of Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome (which could be a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes).

However, according to a new research study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the meals and snacks you eat could also increase your risk for developing type 2 Diabetes.

Let me explain…

Eating Frequency and Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers attempted to see if eating frequency, omitting breakfast and including snacks could increase the risk for developing type 2 Diabetes.

Starting in 1992, the researchers assessed the eating frequency of 29,206 participants from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

The men, at baseline measurement, were free from Diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

During the 16 years of follow-up, 1944 men developed type 2 Diabetes.

After adjusting for BMI, the researchers noticed that men who did NOT eat breakfast had a 21% higher risk for type 2 Diabetes than men who regularly ate breakfast.

As it related to eating frequency, men who ate one to two meals per day also showed an increased risk for Diabetes.   The risk was lower for men who ate three meals per day.  The researchers in this case adjusted for both BMI and diet quality.

When the researchers looked at snacking in between meals, they noticed that men who snacked showed an increased risk for Diabetes.  However, after making the adjustment for BMI, the increase slowed.

From their results, the researchers concluded that not eating breakfast was associated with an increased risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes.  They also noted that snacking could increase your risk; however, the increase in risk was show to be mediated by BMI.

Although this research is new and could provide significant encouragement as it relates to meal omissions, eating frequency and snacking, it still needs to be verified by other research studies in order to provide valid recommendations for preventing the development of Type 2 Diabetes.

Eating Frequency and Diabetes Risk

Diabetes is a growing concern among doctors, physicians and health professionals.

It is estimated to double by the year 2030 and is associated with billions of dollars in healthcare costs in America alone, which much of that is directly associated with medications.

Many different factors could be associated with an increased risk for developing type 2 Diabetes.

However, a new study shows that eating frequency, not eating breakfast, and snacking could be associated with an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

By making sure you are eating breakfast, including whole-grain food products, eating plenty of fiber, and including fruits and vegetables could reduce your risk for many conditions like heart disease, cancer and type 2 Diabetes.

Of course, family history and other factors, could also increase your risk, however, taking the right steps now could potentially reduce your risk for type 2 Diabetes and other chronic conditions.


NEXT: An Even Easier Way To Get Fruits And Vegetables Into Your Day >>