November 14 is a day to raise awareness among the population of the impact that Diabetes has on our society today.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) “calls for the need to strengthen access to quality diabetes education for both the health team and people living with diabetes, their caregivers, and society in general.” . The burden of disease associated with diabetes is enormous and growing: in just 20 years, mortality from diabetes increased 70% worldwide. In the Region of the Americas it is the sixth leading cause of death and the seventh leading cause of years of life lost prematurely.”
Diet is an important factor in maintaining the health of people who suffer from this condition. Diabetes appears when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces.
Dairy consumption in people with diabetes.
Nutritionist Francisco Herrera Morales explains to us that, “Due to their high content of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, protein and specific fatty acids, it has been suggested that the consumption of dairy products could reduce the risk of type 2 Diabetes. According to several scientific studies “The total consumption of dairy products has been significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 Diabetes.”
Dairy products such as whole milk, skim milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat ice cream without added sugar or low-fat cheese are foods with a low or medium GI that are allowed in the diet of people living with Diabetes.
These are some dairy products recommended for a person with diabetes according to the GI:
Low GI (55 or less)
Skim milk (1 cup, 250 ml: 32
Low-fat yogurt (1 cup, 245 ml): 33
Whole milk (1 cup, 250 ml): 34
Medium GI (56-69)
Ice cream (1 cup, 72 g): 61
Cottage cheese (1 ounce, 28 g): 1
Keeping blood glucose levels well controlled decreases the risk of becoming seriously ill or dying; Unfortunately, between 50% and 70% of people living with diabetes have uncontrolled blood glucose levels.
Studies in the region that evaluate people’s knowledge about dairy consumption in relation to diabetes, showed that the older they were, the people interviewed were unaware of the type of diabetes they had; And, furthermore, people are not aware of the benefits that dairy products provide in a healthy diet and even less so in the preventive management of diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) say that milk is healthy for people with diabetes.
