Apparently, nutrition is important to ward off chronic disease! Who would have thought!!?!?!?
A meta-analysis of observational studies (this means someone looked at available studies they deemed relevant), published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has confirmed that certain foods groups show evidence of being extremely important in the management of disease markers (blood pressure, c-reactive protein (CRP), fasting glucose, insulin resistance, etc). Here are a couple of notes from the data that should interest most people:
Nuts – the best food group at reducing LDL cholesterol, followed by legumes and wholegrains.
Fish – the best food group for reducing triglycerides (97%) and pushing up HDL cholesterol, followed by nuts then eggs and red meat.
Blood pressure management – legumes, fruits and vegetables (especially the systolic number), fish, red meat.
Diabetes marker (HbA1c) – wholegrains and legumes are the winners here.
Inflammation (CRP)– eggs (big winner at 80%), nuts.
Sugar-sweetened beverages – performed worst of all groups tested, in every category.
So – what to do and how does this apply to you?
Increase your intake of nuts (even though they have a high fat content), legumes and wholegrains to improve metabolic health.
Come and see me – let’s assess how you are navigating the nutrition minefield and get you on track to lower your risk of chronic disease.