Women with type 2 diabetes who have gone through menopause may benefit from adding two kinds of polyunsaturated oils to their diet, a new study has shown.
Researchers at Ohio State University worked with a group of women during a period of 32 weeks and asked them to first use safflower oil for 16 weeks, then conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) found naturally in some meat and dairy for the remaining weeks.
The participants did not change their exercise or any other dietary habits during that time.
At the end of the 32 weeks, it transpired that taking safflower oil helped these women lose body fat around their midsection and stabilize their blood sugar levels. They also increased muscle tissue.
The women taking CLA nutritional supplements also had better blood sugar levels but in addition to that recorded lower body mass index figures and a total amount of lower body fat.
Senior study author Martha Belury commented on the importance of the results and said, “Lowering fasting glucose is important for these women. The overall effect in just 16 weeks wasnt bringing them back to normal, but safflower oil still improved it significantly.”
Some physicians recommend that high blood sugar can be controlled or prevented through a diet rich in fish and fresh vegetables and low in processed foods and sweets. 