60 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • DECEMBER 7, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Moms-to-be: Forget pickles and reach for pistachios
Results of a new study among pregnant
women with impaired glucose intolerance
during gestation (GIGT) or gestational
diabetes mellitus (GDM) - commonly
known as gestational diabetes - show that
eating pistachios may help manage blood
sugar levels. Th e study is the fi rst to evaluate
the glucose response aft er consumption
of pistachios in pregnant women
with GDM or GIGT.
Diabetes is a chronic illness that aff ects
more than 422 million people around
the world. GDM develops in a pregnant
woman who did not previously have diabetes.
Like other types of diabetes, it
aff ects how the body uses blood sugar.
GIGT occurs when, during pregnancy,
the body is unable to regulate blood glucose
levels normally because of hormonal
changes. Th e blood glucose levels rise
beyond normal levels aft er a glucose challenge,
but not high enough to warrant a
diabetes diagnosis. While resolved aft er
the baby is born, women with either
GDM or GIGT have a greater risk of
developing diabetes.
According to the latest diagnostic criteria
established by the International
Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy
Study Groups (IADPSG) in 2010, GDM
prevalence was estimated at 9.8 to 25.5
percent worldwide.
“Our study is the fi rst to show that eating
pistachios may help women with gestational
diabetes control their blood sugar
levels aft er eating,” said Sheng Ge, M.D.,
lead investigator, Chief Physician and
Director of Clinical Nutrition at the Sixth
People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong
University in Shanghai, China, where the
study was conducted. “Th e results highlight
pistachios as a smart food choice for
women with gestational diabetes as they
aim to manage their illness.”
In the study, 30 women with gestational
diabetes (all between 24 and 28 gestational
weeks) were randomly assigned to eat a
breakfast of either 42 grams of pistachios
(about 1/3 of a cup, or 1.5 servings) or 100
grams of whole wheat bread (two slices) aft er
an overnight fast. Th e pistachios and whole
wheat bread were matched for calories.
Blood sugar and GLP-1, a key insulin-producing
hormone, were measured every 30
minutes aft er the meal, up to 120 minutes.
Aft er seven days, the groups switched.
Blood sugar levels were signifi cantly
lower aft er consuming pistachios than
they were aft er consuming whole wheat
bread aft er 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90
minutes and 120 minutes. In fact, blood
sugar levels aft er eating pistachios were
comparable to baseline levels. In addition,
GLP-1 levels were signifi cantly higher
aft er consumption of pistachios compared
to whole wheat bread aft er 60 minutes,
90 minutes and 120 minutes.
Th e eff ect on insulin levels was even
more dramatic. Blood insulin levels did
not increase during the two hours aft er
eating the pistachios. Again, both groups
of women had a signifi cantly lower rise
in blood insulin levels at every time point
measured aft er eating the pistachios than
they did aft er eating whole wheat bread.
“Elevated blood sugar during pregnancy
not only impacts the mother’s health,
but it may also increase the baby’s risk
of developing diabetes,” said Zhaoping
Li, M.D., another study investigator
and Professor of Medicine, Chief of the
Division of Clinical Nutrition, University
of California, Los Angeles. “Th is study
shows pistachios can be a useful addition
to the diet in order to maintain healthy
blood sugar levels while providing essential
nutrients to the mother and baby
during this critical time.”
Dr. Li added, “It’s exciting to see solutions
from whole foods that are also palatable
to patients. Th ey’re much more
likely to comply with a prescribed diet as
a result of a diabetes diagnosis when the
food is something they enjoy.”
Pistachios have a low Glycemic Index
(GI), are relatively high in fi ber, healthy
fats, antioxidants and anti-infl ammatory
phytonutrients, all of which can benefi
t people with diabetes. Eating pistachios
has a minimal eff ect on blood sugar levels
aft er eating a meal and, when added to a
carbohydrate-rich meal, they help minimize
any spike in blood sugar.
Courtesy BPT
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