A small premeal serving of almonds may help to delay or control conversion to diabetes
A recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined whether preloading major meals with almonds would decrease overall glycemia and postprandial hyperglycemia in participants with prediabetes.
The study had 60 participants and consisted of two phases: 1) a crossover randomized control study based on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in which the effect of a single premeal almond load (20 g) given before OGTT was evaluated; and 2) a three-day study based on a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) that included premeal almond loads before three major meals. The second phase was a free-living, crossover randomized control trial.
The findings showed that adopting a simple change—eating 20 g of almonds 30 minutes before each major meal— led to a significant decrease in postprandial blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide and glucagon levels and improved glycemic variability and glycemic control. Adopting such strategies to manage hyperglycemia, especially in a prediabetes state, can be helpful in delaying or controlling conversion to diabetes.
A different study, published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, evaluated the effect of a 20 g almond load 30 minutes before major meals on anthropometric, glycemic and metabolic parameters. This three-month, free-living randomized controlled open-label parallel arm study involved 66 participants with prediabetes in the age range of 18-60 years.
The findings showed that preloading major meals with almonds leads to significant improvement in body weight, waist circumference, glycemia and insulin resistance and shows potential for reversal of prediabetes to normal glucose regulation over three months.
Gulati, S., Misra, A., Tiwari, R. et al. (2023). Beneficial effects of premeal almond load on glucose profile on oral glucose tolerance and continuous glucose monitoring: randomized crossover trials in Asian Indians with prediabetes. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10.1038/s41430-023-01263-1. Advance online publication.
Gulati, S., Misra, A., Tiwari, R. et al. (2023). Premeal almond load decreases postprandial glycaemia, adiposity and reversed prediabetes to normoglycemia: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 54, 12–22.