You may have heard that a diet high in fat and sugar can lead to obesity and increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when patients do not produce or are insulin resistant.
What you may not know? and what is excellent news? Is that there are some foods that can reduce the chances of you having this disease. This news came from a study published by The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology in October 2017.
Omega-6: The Great Ally in Reducing the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The survey published last month analyzed 20 previous studies and collected data from nearly 40,000 adults from over 10 countries. All of these people had undergone tests to measure their levels of linoleic acid, a substance that indicates the presence of omega-6 in the body.
The people analyzed in the study had good general health and received no guidance on their diet. Even so, those that had the highest levels of linoleic acid in their blood? indicating a greater presence of omega-6 in the body? had a much lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Linoleic acid is not produced by our body, it is obtained only by food. Thus, the researchers concluded that there may be a relationship between eating omega-6 rich foods and reducing the risk of the disease.
Read also: Can eating too much sugar cause diabetes?
Omega-6 Rich Foods
Like omega-3, omega-6 is a polyunsaturated fat known to be a "good" fat present in all our cells. In addition to showing evidence of protecting the body against type 2 diabetes, omega-6 is important for regulating brain function and the growth of our body.
The most prominent foods in the omega-6 content are walnuts (10.8 grams in a 28 gram serving), sunflower seeds (9.3 grams in the same serving) and peanuts (4.4 grams). .
Sunflower oil and soybean oil are also good sources of omega-6: they contain, respectively, 8.9 grams and 6.9 grams of this fat in a 15 ml serving.
Bad side: Too much omega-6 is harmful to health
Although research has shown the benefit of omega-6 in preventing type 2 diabetes, consumption of this fatty acid should be moderate or it can become harmful.
The daily intake should be less than omega-3, present mainly in fatty fish such as salmon. This is because omega-6 impairs the absorption of this fat, thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Read also: 22 Diabetes Myths and Truths Revealed
Omega-6 also aggravates the body's inflammatory processes, so it can worsen symptoms of autoimmune diseases, acne, asthma and rheumatism. In addition, this fat may increase the risk of developing hypertension and Alzheimer's disease.
Thus, there should be a preference for omega-3 foods over omega-6 foods. Increasing consumption of nuts, sunflower seeds and peanuts just thinking about type 2 diabetes may not be a safe measure, so it is important to follow a nutritionist's guidelines.
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