The Surprising Link Between Peanuts and Diabetes Management

did you know that peanuts despite their name are actually legumes and not nuts hi I'm qu I'm a pharmacist today I want to talk briefly about peanuts which are rich in Protein healthy fats and fiber and offer a balanced macronutrient profile that's ideal for blood sugar management we'll talk about three key benefits of peanuts primarily for people with diabetes but I know those benefit cut across to even people who do not have diabetes we'll also talk about three key precautions that you should know about if you eat peanuts so let's start with the benefits and

the first one is blood sugar control now it's no secret that keeping blood sugar levels within a healthy range is one of the biggest challenges for a lot of people with diabetes when you eat foods with a high glycemic index your blood sugar levels can Spike and then drop quickly which can leave you feeling fatigued hungry thirsty or even Moody now to make matters worse continual spikes in blood sugar can lead to the development of ins inulin resistance now we don't want that do we definitely not so to avoid this you typically want to eat

foods that have a low glycemic index and that is what makes peanuts a great food choice for folks with diabetes peanuts have a low glycemic index of just about 13 so not only will peanuts not raise your blood sugar levels drastically they would also mitigate the effect of blood sugar spikes when paired with other foods that would ordinarily cause blood sugar spikes so for example a peanut butter sandwich will be preferred over a piece of bread with a sugary spread that most likely contains high fructose corn syrup now by the way high fructose syrup is

my personal peeve uh but I think I'll leave that for a discussion for another day now a study published in the British Journal of nutrition suggest that eating peanuts or peanut butter in the morning can keep your blood sugar level steady throughout the day so the question is what makes peanuts so special well for one thing they are loaded with magnesium just one one serving of peanuts about 28 peanuts or so provides 12% of the daily recommended intake of magnesium magnesium is a mineral that helps regulate blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity and glucose

optic in fact research published in the Journal of internal medicine shows that people who get more magnesium in their diet are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes number two benefit it promotes heart health now I'm sure you already know that people with diabetes have an increased risk of veloping cardiovascular disease which is one of the leading causes of death among people with um diabetes together with cancer now just to be clear when we say cardiovascular diseases we are referring to a group of conditions that affect the heart the blood vessels you know such as

heart attack stroke and angina or chest pains collectively they are called cardiovascular diseases now peanuts May lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving blood lipid profiles reducing inflammation and preventing what we call oxidative stress peanuts are rich in unsaturated fats which are amazing for heart health now these fats can lower the bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol levels which help move the bad cholesterol from the arteries and then and so doing protect it from damage a study from the Journal of American College of nutrition showed that eating peanuts May lower the risk of

cardiovascular disease by whopping 21% in people with type 2 diabetes Well there's more if you're getting excited already peanuts also contain antioxidants such as Vitamin E polyphenols and resveratol which can prevent oxidative stress and inflammation in blood vessels now oxidative stress and inflammation are two major factors that contribute to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease so these antioxidants found in peanuts can neutralize those unstable molecules that can damage cells and tissues and reduce inflammatory Market in the body so anytime you grab a handful of peanuts know that you're doing something good good for your

heart number three benefit peanuts may help with Weight Control now weight management obviously is another important aspect of Diabetes Care now being overweight can increase insulin resistance and make it harder to control blood sugar level peanuts may help with Weight Control by increasing satiety and reducing hunger cravings now this is because peanuts are high in protein and fiber which are two nutrients that can make you feel full for longer protein and fiber can slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates which can prevent blood sugar spikes and dips peanuts also contain healthy fats that can

stimulate the production of hormones that regulate appetite such as leptin and grillin but please don't get me wrong though I'm not saying or promoting peanuts as some kind of weight loss pill or some magical thing that will help you lose weight all I'm saying is that peanuts when eating as part of a regular balanced diet may help you achieve your weight loss goals now let's look at the precautions or what you should know about peanuts if you decide to you know include them in your diet number one is to watch for your portions peanuts are

calorically dense meaning they pack a lot of calories in a small portion it's very easy to overeat especially when consuming them as a snack this obviously defeats the purpose of weight management so just watch your portion sizes when it comes to peanuts a seven size of peanut is about 28 G or just about a handful and contains about 1070 calories and 14 G of fat a serving of peanut butter is about 16 G which contains about 100 calories and 8 G of fat number two best practice is to choose the right kind now it's important

to avoid peanuts that are highly processed with added sugar oil such as on roasted or sunf flavored peanuts I mean no doubt these ones taste very good I'm not going to lie but they can also increase your calories and even sometimes sodium and sometimes even the fat content and all of this can potentially negate all the health benefits that you're gaining from them the third precaution is to watch out for high Omega 6es now peanuts have a higher content of omega-6 fatty acids compared to other nuts now excessive Omega 6 intake has been associated with

an increased risk of inflammation potentially exacerbating diabetes symptoms what I would say is that to be on the safe side if you eat peanuts regularly you should also consume foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts flaxy you know oily fish like sardines and Salmons just to balance things out so for me personally what I like to do is rather to do mix nuts in that case you know you're getting a balance of both Omega 6 and omega-3 fatty acids thank you so much for staying through I hope you found some value in this

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