A study released by the Illinois Institute of Technology shows the benefits of including red raspberries in the diet of individuals with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 34 percent of American adults, around 84.1 million in all, had pre-diabetes in 2015. Patients with pre-diabetes are at higher risk for a number of conditions—including developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease.
The study, published in Obesity, investigated the effects of red raspberries in a group of people at-risk for diabetes who were overweight or obese and presented with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance. A metabolically healthy control group was also included in the study for reference.
Results showed that as the amount of raspberry intake increased, individuals at risk for diabetes needed less insulin to manage their blood glucose. When two cups of red raspberries were included in the meal, glucose concentrations were lower compared to the meal with no red raspberries. The data suggests that simple inclusion of certain fruits, such as red raspberries with meals, can have glucose lowering benefits with indications of improvements in insulin responses. These effects are particularly important for people who are overweight or obese with pre-diabetes.
