Cashews prove beneficial for diabetics

Here’s another reason to eat cashews: scientists believe that an extract of cashew seeds may help fight diabetes. In test-tube experiments, scientists found that cashew seed extract helped muscle cells absorb blood sugar.

According to the study's authors, this finding suggests that cashew seed extract could improve the body's response to its own insulin. People with diabetes fail to respond properly to insulin, which regulates the body’s blood sugar level.

By improving the body's insulin response, the study's authors suggest, cashew seed extract may help keep blood sugar in check and protect against diabetes.

Cashews have ‘good fat’

Boasting 37.7 percent of the daily recommended value of monounsaturated fats, cashews can reduce triglyceride levels in diabetics, protecting them from further complications. Some believe integrating frequent nut consumption into a diet, especially raw cashews, may lower the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, the most commonly diagnosed form of diabetes in America today.

Cashew nuts do have a relatively high fat content (12 grams per ounce, 2 grams saturated fat), but it is considered “good fat.” This is due to the agreeable fat ratio in the nut, 1:2:1 for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated, respectively, which scientists say is the ideal ratio for optimal health.

Reference:

Tedong, L., Madiraju, P., Martineau, L. C., Vallerand, D., Arnason, J. T., Desire, D. D. P., Lavoie, L., Kamtchouing, P. and Haddad, P. S. , Hydro-ethanolic extract of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) nut and its principal compound, anacardic acid, stimulate glucose uptake in C2C12 muscle cells. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.