Acidic Foods Found to Increase Diabetes RiskTuesday, 12 Nov 2013
To avoid developing type 2 diabetes, you may have been told to
watch your calories and kick up your activity level. Now researchers
say there's something else you might consider: your so-called
dietary acid load.
A diet heavy in animal products and other acidic foods can cause
an acid load in the body, resulting in health complications. This
includes reduced insulin sensitivity, which can lead to type 2
diabetes, according to the new study.
"We have demonstrated for the first time in a large prospective
study that dietary acid load was positively associated with type 2
diabetes risk, independently of other known risk factors for
diabetes," the researchers said. "Our results need to be validated
in other populations, and may lead to promotion of diets with a low
acid load for the prevention of diabetes."
The term animal products refers to meat, eggs and dairy. Greater
consumption of fruits and vegetables is believed to lead to a lower
acid load, the researchers said.
The study included more than 66,000 women in Europe who were
followed for more than 14 years. During that time, nearly 1,400 of
the women were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Those with diets highest in acidic foods were 56 percent more
likely to develop diabetes than those with diets lowest in acidic
foods, according to the study, which was published recently in the
journal Diabetologia.
This link between a highly acidic diet and increased risk of
diabetes remained even after the researchers adjusted for dietary
patterns, meat consumption and intake of fruit, vegetables, coffee
and sweetened beverages. The study did not, however, prove that a
highly acidic diet actually causes diabetes.
"A diet rich in animal protein may favor net acid intake, while
most fruits and vegetables form alkaline precursors that neutralize
the acidity," wrote Dr. Guy Fagherazzi and Dr. Francoise
Clavel-Chapelon, of the Center for Research in Epidemiology and
Population Health at INSERM, in Paris. "Contrary to what is
generally believed, most fruits -- such as peaches, apples, pears,
bananas and even lemons and oranges -- actually reduce dietary acid
load once the body has processed them."
© HealthDay |