Can These Foods Help Prevent Diabetes?

Take a coffee break

A study from the University of Minnesota found that regular coffee drinkers may be less likely to develop diabetes. The experts suspect that compounds and minerals in coffee beans may improve the sensitivity of insulin receptors and help the body process blood sugar more efficiently.

If caffeine makes you more jittery than a jitterbug, it just got a lot easier to figure out how much caffeine you really drink. (Hint: Your morning coffee is just the beginning.) One stealthy source: soda. Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola recently began disclosing the amount of caffeine in each 8-ounce serving (up to 50 milligrams). That's not necessarily bad, as long as you cap your total daily caffeine intake at 200 to 300 milligrams (or 2 to 3 cups of coffee); research suggests that this amount is safe, boosts your alertness, and may even reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, if you go overboard or show signs of caffeine sensitivity—such as headaches, anxiety, or gastrointestinal distress—or are taking certain antibiotics or anti-anxiety meds, cutting back on soda or coffee (your choice!) may be a wise move.

Take D to protect against the big D

Getting adequate vitamin D daily in food and supplements may help stop type 2 diabetes, say Tufts University researchers. In their 20-year study of 81,700 women, those with the highest vitamin D intake had a 28 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest. Good food sources: milk, fatty fish, and eggs.

Scream for ice cream

Can ice cream fight diabetes? Just maybe. First it fought fat. Now comes evidence that eating low-fat dairy foods may reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. When Harvard University researchers monitored the diets of more than 41,000 men for 12 years, they discovered that for every daily serving of low-fat dairy eaten, a man's risk of developing diabetes dropped by 9 percent. Calcium and other nutrients may play roles, says study author Hyon Choi, M.D., D.P.H., although Dr. Choi found that people who eat more low-fat dairy tend to have healthier diets overall. The biggest surprise: In addition to yogurt, fat-free milk, and the other usual suspects, this study also included low-fat ice cream. Our favorite brand: Edy's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy Light, which has half the saturated fat of regular but all the flavor.

Spice it up

While apple pie and other goodies might be less than helpful for diabetes, the spice that flavors them might be just the opposite. Researchers are finding that cinnamon extract can help lower blood sugar.

Newer research shows that cinnamon can help rein in blood sugar. German researchers collected blood from 65 adults with type 2 diabetes who then took a capsule containing the equivalent of 1 gram of cinnamon powder or a placebo three times a day for 4 months. By the end, cinnamon reduced blood sugar by about 10 percent; the placebo users improved by only 4 percent. Compounds in cinnamon may activate enzymes that stimulate insulin receptors.

The extract used in the study is sold only in Europe, but Envita Labs' Cinna-Betic II is similar. (Stick with the extract, which is water soluble; large amounts of the actual spice can be dangerous.) It's available at vitamin retailers. Follow label instructions.

Eat for your genes

African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics can reduce their risk of developing diabetes by a whopping 46 percent just by making some easy changes in their eating habits, according to Harvard researchers who followed more than 78,000 women for 20 years. That's a big health payoff: These groups tend to have a much higher risk of the disease than Caucasians (who get only a 23 percent reduction in risk by munching wisely). One of the most crucial shifts: favoring low-glycemic foods—which studies show help stabilize your blood sugar. Try these simple strategies:

• Swap sugary drinks, such as soda and bottled sweetened teas, for water and freshly brewed unsweetened teas.
• Ditch refined grains, such as white rice, for fiber-rich whole grains, such as brown rice or quinoa.
• Pass on foods that contain saturated fats or trans fats; instead, pick foods rich in polyunsaturated fats, including fish and nuts.
• Keep meat choices lean, and incorporate other sources of protein into your diet, too. Try chickpeas and kidney and black beans.

Crush diabetes with carrots

Their brilliant orange color means they're bursting with carotenoids, antioxidants that may help prevent diabetes, suggests new research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Among 4,500 people tested over 15 years, those with the highest levels of carotenoids in their blood had about half the diabetes risk of those with the least.

Eat more fiber

According to researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 17 overweight or obese people who ate 31 grams of insoluble fiber every day experienced an 8 percent jump in insulin sensitivity. That's the amount of fiber in three servings of high-fiber cereal or two servings of barley.

Be a little seedy

Eating more magnesium can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Tufts University scientists found that adults consuming the most magnesium—more than 386 milligrams daily—were less likely to have insulin resistance than those downing the least. "Insulin resistance means your cells don't respond well to insulin, a hormone that moves sugar out of your blood," says study author Nicola M. McKeown, Ph.D.