New research has found reducing sugar consumption and increasing fiber intake seems to improve risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes in Latino teens.

Researchers from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles conducted a 16-week study of 54 overweight Latino adolescents. Participants were split into three groups: control, nutrition (one class per week) or nutrition plus strength training (one nutrition class per week and strength training twice a week).

They found the participants who decreased their sugar intake experienced an average of 33 percent decrease in insulin secretion, and those who increased their fiber intake had an average 10 percent reduction in visceral fat tissue volume.

“Policies that promote reduced intake of added sugar and increased intake of fiber could be effective public health strategies for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in this high-risk population,” the researchers concluded.

They also suggested the changes can be as simple as giving up one can of soda or adding one half cup of beans per day.

The background to the research notes nearly 40 percent of Mexican-American adolescents were overweight or at risk for being overweight from 2003 to 2006.

Besides the above-described dietary changes, people struggling with weight may also consider the alkaline diet, which in addition to benefiting the waistline also boosts bone health.