Regular Consumption Of Sardines Can Prevent Type-2 Diabetes- Study

In what would be a path breaking discovery, a group of Spanish scientists have discovered that inclusion of sardines in daily diet can prevent the onset of Type-2 diabetes. In the study published in the Clinical Nutrition journal, researchers claim that the nutrients found in high quantities in sardines - such as taurine, omega 3, calcium and vitamin D - help to protect against this disease which, according to CIBERDEM's Diabetes study, affects around 14% of the Spanish population over the age of 18.

"Not only are sardines reasonably priced and easy to find, but they are safe and help to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. This is a huge scientific discovery. It is easy to recommend this food during medical check-ups, and it is widely accepted by the population", explained Diana D. Rizzolo, lecturer and researcher of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's (UOC) Faculty of Health Sciences and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS).

The Discovery

The study enrolled 152 patients aged 65 years and older who had been diagnosed with prediabetes (blood glucose levels between 100-124 mg/dl) from three different hospitals/health centres. All of these patients were put on a nutritional programme that sought to reduce the risk of them developing the disease, but only the intervention group added 200 grams of sardines to their diet every week (two cans of sardines in olive oil). To facilitate this consumption, and with thanks to the Alicia Foundation, these study participants received a list of recipes including canned sardines. Participants were advised to eat the sardine whole, without removing the bones, as these are particularly rich in calcium and vitamin D.

Of the group that did not include sardines in their diet, 27% of the members were at a high risk of suffering from diabetes (measured via the FINDRISC questionnaire). After one year, 22% found themselves in the same category. Of the group that included sardines in their diet, 37% of the members were at a high risk of suffering from diabetes at the start of the study. After one year, only 8% remained at a very high risk. Improvements were also seen in other important biochemical parameters, such as a reduced insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), increased "good" cholesterol (HDL), increased hormones that accelerate the breakdown of glucose (adiponectin) and decreased triglycerides and blood pressure, amongst others.

The study was carried out on participants aged 65 and above because the incidence of diabetes is much higher in elderly people than in the young population: "As we get older, restrictive diets (in terms of calories or food groups) can help to prevent the onset of diabetes. However, the cost-benefit ratio is not always positive, as we found in other studies", stated doctor Rizzolo. "However, the results lead us to believe that we could obtain an equally significant preventive effect in the younger population."