How You Can Avoid Diabetes Epidemic (NAPSA)—A diabetes epidemic has hit the United States. How can you avoid becoming one of the 800,000 new cases of diabetes each year? Read on. At any given moment, it is esti- mated that 80 million Americans are at risk for developing the potentially debilitating and lifethreatening disease. Although type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, it is a fairly preventable disease. “My father has diabetes, and Tve seen the health problemsit’s caused him,” said Emily Lobdell, 26, of Chicago who is at high risk for type 2 diabetes. “I definitely do not want that to happen to me.” Lobdell eats whole grains, exercises and makes good diet choices because she knows that poor health habits are partially to blamefor the upward trend of type 2 diabetes, which is also referred to as “adult onset” diabetes. Research is clear that an inactive lifestyle and poor food choices top the list of reasons for the epidemic. Fear not, however, there is a silver lining. Makinglifestyle changes may reduce your chances for developing the disease. The science is in: choose your foods carefully. Studies that look at the eating patterns found that those who ate vegetables, fruit, fish, poultry and whole grains had a lowerrisk of type 2 diabetes. Though fruits and vegetables are a necessary part of a healthy diet, several studies indicate that whole-grain foods are very effective in lowering therisk for type 2 diabetes. Research recently published in The American Journal of Clinical shows that whole grains from breads and breakfast cereals are a surprising new weapon to preventthe disease. Researchers from Harvard and the University of Minnesota conducted the first ever double-blind clinical study designed to improve the body’s “insulin response” by eating U.S. guideline levels of whole-grain foods. The term “insulin response” refers to the way the body processes blood sugar. Whole-grain foods like a bowl of cereal tend to improve the body’s ability to handle blood sugar. The U.S. guideline level is three servings of whole-grain foods a day; however, nine in 10 Americans DO NOT meet that minimum guideline. Vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients—whole grains contain plenty of these substances and together, they are part of the diabetes-prevention picture. Vitamin E, magnesium and phytoestrogens are just a few of the many components in whole grains that may also help improve insulin sensitivity. A Great Start Toward Total —Read the label. It’s easy to meet the guideline and give whole-grain foods a spot at every meal. Choose a whole-grain cereal for breakfast, such as Total, Cheerios, Wheat Chex or a shred- ded wheat cereal. Oatmeal is whole grain, too. Select wholegrain bread for sandwiches and use whole-grain pastas, brown rice or other whole-grain dishes at supper. One bowl of whole-grain cereal along with a sandwich with two slices of whole-grain bread and you’ve met the requirement for three servings. Finding Whole-Grain Foods Breakfast cereals* Bread, bagels, crackers, pasta* Barley Bulgur Brownrice Corn, fresh orfrozen Quinoa * Check ingredient labels—look for the word “whole” before the nameof the grain in the ingredientlist. It should be the first ingredient. OTHERTIPS Lookfor the “whole grain” seal on products. Look for the whole-grain health claim on packages. ee ee ee eee eee eee Oe ee eee eee eee eee eee eee eee ot Note to Editors: This is series IV—4 of 26.
