Two studies, both published in July of this year, have linked high consumption of heme iron (the form of iron found in animal products) with an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes.

The first study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Perinatal Studies at the Swedish Medical Center in Washington, USA, and involved the study of 3,158 pregnant women who were followed over the course of their pregnancy. During the study, 158 of the women developed gestational diabetes.

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The small island of Nauru in the South Pacific is believed to have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world with a massive 31% of adults between 20 and 79 suffering from either type-1 or type-2 diabetes in 2010.

Obesity is the primary reason for the high diabetes rates in Nauru with more than 95% of the population classified as either overweight or obese making Nauru the fattest nation on the planet.

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A Mediterranean style diet that is high in fruit, nuts, legumes, and whole grains may reduce an individuals risk of developing type-2 diabetes by more than 80% according to new research published in May this year.

The study, conducted by Spanish researchers and published in the British Medical Journal, followed 13,380 Spanish university graduates for an average of 4.4 years. The graduates adherence to a Mediterranean diet was calculated by giving each participant a score of zero or one for their consumption of nine components of a Mediterranean diet.

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Evidence from several large studies suggests that vegetarians may be more than 50% less likely to develop type-2 diabetes compared to those who consume meat on a regular basis.

One of the largest studies on the link between a vegetarian diet and diabetes came from a study of 25,698 seventh day adventists in 1960 over a 21 year study period. The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health in 1985.

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People who consume nuts at least five times a week may be almost half as likely to develop type-2 diabetes as infrequent nut eaters according to the results of a recent study.

The study was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in November 2002 by American researchers at the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. The authors analyzed data on 83,818 women which was collected from the Nurses Health Study (NHS) over a 16 year period from 1980 to 1996.

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A recent study has found that eating dairy products such as cheese, milk, butter, and yogurt can reduce an individuals risk of developing type-2 diabetes by as much as 31%. The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2006, involved following 37,183 healthy middle-aged women for an average of 10 years. The women were asked to complete questionnaires on how frequently they consumed 130 common food products.

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Low-carbohydrate diets high in plant based protein and fat may be better than traditional low fat, high carbohydrate diets at reducing the risk of diabetes according to a new study published in the February 2008 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers used data from the Nurses’ Health Study which followed more than 85,000 women over a 20 year period. The researchers examined the association between the percentage of energy intake from carbohydrates and the probability of developing diabetes.

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The Glycemic Index (GI) measures the impact a particular food has on an individuals blood glucose levels. GI is defined as the area under the two-hour blood glucose response curve after consuming a fixed portion of a particular food. A high GI value indicates that consumption of a particular food increases blood glucose levels both faster and to a higher peak than a low GI food.

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Typical staples of a western diet such as diet soft drinks, red meats, and fried foods can lead to a condition called metabolic syndrome which can significantly increase your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease according to a recent study.

The study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that as little as two servings of red or processed meat a day and one diet soft drink increases an individuals risk of developing metabolic syndrome by more than a quarter.

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