As a young child I've been taught that milk is a complete food because it contains most of the nutrients necessary for good health. Most especially, milk is the best natural source of Vitamin D and Calcium - the key nutrients for bone health.
Now, the combination of Vitamin D and Calcium has been found to reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, giving us (even adults) additional reason to drink milk.
According to this article: the recommended three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk provides 900 mg of calcium, 300 IU of vitamin D and 80 mg of magnesium daily.
Magnesium in there caught my eye - because increased magnesium in the diet has recently been linked to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes as well.
Well, I guess we should all start drinking milk - especially if like me, you've lost the habit somewhere in time - though we should remember to keep it fat-free.
A German study suggests that increased intake of fiber and magnesium-rich grains can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The said research, led by Matthias Schulze, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke revealed the following:
- Consumption of fiber through cereal, bread and other grain products (cereal fiber) was associated with a reduced risk of diabetes; highest fiber intake (an average of 29 grams per day) resulted to 27% lower risk than those with the lowest intake (an average of 15.1 grams per day).
- No difference observed in the reduction of risks between soluble or insoluble fiber
- Highest consumption of cereal fiber was associated with a 33 % reduction in the risk of diabetes
- Consumption of the most magnesium had a 23 per cent lower risk, compared to those who consumed the least
In both cases (fiber or magnesium), no association was found between fruit or vegetable fiber and diabetes risk. The study's findings, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, strongly support the importance of whole grain foods in diabetes prevention.
But of course, it cannot be just fiber and magnesium but an entirely nutritionally balanced diet that will lower our risks of developing diabetes.
Other sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and eating more of these may be able to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, according to meta-analysis of observational studies by Karolinska Institutet researchers.
"Findings from this meta-analysis of cohort studies indicate that increased intake of magnesium may reduce the incidence of type-2 diabetes. This observational evidence should be treated as compelling but not definitive.
The potential protective role of magnesium intake against type-2 diabetes may be due to improvement of insulin sensitivity. Studies in animals have demonstrated an adverse effect of magnesium deficiency on glucose-induced insulin secretion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake.
In contrast, magnesium supplementation was shown to prevent fructose-induced insulin resistance and reduce the development of diabetes in a rat model of spontaneous type-2 diabetes."
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