Adding cashew seed extract to ones diet may help lower diabetes risk, according to findings published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. This is because compounds in cashew seeds have been found to improve the bodys response to insulin.
During a recent study, a team of investigators examined human cells, which contribute to blood sugar control, that were exposed to different extracts taken from leaves, bark, seeds and apples for cashew trees. After exposing the human cells to each extract sample, the researchers examined which cells had the most improved insulin response.
The results of the trial showed that only the cells introduced to cashew seed extract had better blood sugar control. In fact, the extract increased the activity level of muscle cells needed for the body to properly absorb blood sugar.
Pierre S. Haddad, lead author of the study, stated that these findings validate “the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies.”
This discovery shows that if more natural supplements are discovered to prevent developing diabetes, people, including high-risk populations, could have a better chance at avoiding the life-long disease. In 2007, an estimated 17.9 million Americans were diagnosed with diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.