Pistachios reduce the body's reaction to stress in type 2 diabetes

September 03, 2014
by: J. Anderson
Source: Natural News

We all have stress, but for people with type 2 diabetes, this can be especially hazardous, considering their high risk of heart disease. Any natural way to relieve or reduce their body's natural response to stress could be beneficial (that goes for all of us as well). A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found that a natural way to reduce the body's response to stress especially in people with type 2 diabetes could be daily servings of pistachios!

Although it is not well known, there are natural ways to reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes, especially via food. While the typical American diet of highly processed foods and a ton of sugar can actually promote type 2 diabetes, there are many ways to use whole, healthy foods to improve your condition, and pistachios seem to be one of those superfoods!

The Study

The study, out of Penn State, was conducted on otherwise healthy participants with well controlled type 2I diabetes. They gave all the participants the same diet with the same amount of calories for two weeks, after which the participants were chosen at random to eat a heart-healthy diet (27% fat) or eat a diet with two servings of pistachios (33% fat, around 150 nuts a day). Participants only ate food supplied to them through the study. At the end of these four weeks, the participants were put under two stress tests: a confusing math test and a cold water test. During these test, their blood pressure and total peripheral vascular resistance was measured (also took resting baseline values).

It was found that the group with pistachios in their diet had significantly more relaxed blood vessels (among other things) during the tests, meaning that their body was better able to handle the stress. Sheila West, a member of the research team, said, "This cold stressor produces a large vascular constriction response in most people. In comparison with a low fat diet, the pistachio diet blunted that vascular response to stress."

While all the participants felt stress and anger during the tests, West said, "The pistachio diet reduced their bodies' responses to stress, but nuts are not a cure for the emotional distress that we feel in our daily lives."

Power of Pistachios

Pistachios have been linked to a number of other beneficial uses. For instance, they have been linked to helping lower cholesterol while increasing the antioxidant levels within the bloodstream. This higher level of antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress (which can kill good cells). Not only that, but they have also been found to help cut your risk of cancer by being high in vitamin E and gamma-tocopherol, both of which have been helpful in reducing the risk of various cancers.

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