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How To Choose A Healthy Cooking Oil!

This is a delicate and controversial issue, involving complex scientific research which is still underway and emotions and geographical preferences and commercial interests of oil seed producers and the oil industry.

We have already seen in the ‘Heart Health Poster Boy Olive Oil Vs Groundnut Oil’ article on this website that the best oils nutritionally are groundnut oil for Indian style cooking and olive oil for Western type low temperature cooking or cold dressing oil.

Both oils are heart healthy and anti inflammatory oils.

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All oils are principally made up of three kinds of fatty acids, viz. monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

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Monounsaturated fatty acids:

Monounsaturated fatty acids are healthy fats found in various nuts like groundnuts, almonds, cashews and hazelnuts and avocados and in olive and groundnut oils. They are liquid at room temperature but may start to solidify when chilled.

They can help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Some studies suggest they improve insulin sensitivity and help in managing blood sugar levels and that they may also help reduce inflammation, which is linked to chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Replacing saturated and trans fats in your food with monounsaturated fats can help prevent diabetes, heart disease and can promote better overall health.

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Saturated fatty acids:

Oils rich in saturated fats are coconut, palm and palm kernel oils.

Saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol, which is harmful to heart health and their consumption leads to heart disease and strokes.

The saturated fatty acids in coconut oil have been portrayed by some to be a medium chain triglycerides (MCT) rich oil which is supposed to be absorbed directly in the portal vein and transported straight to the liver which uses it up immediately for energy and that it is not stored as fat, and hence it is said to be healthy.

This is true for a special formulation coconut oil composed of hundred per cent medium chain triglycerides, used as a special nutritional supplement for pre term, low birth weight babies and critically ill ICU patients, not for regular coconut oil. Regular, commercially available coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and other saturated fatty acids, which function as long chain triglycerides and are absorbed slowly and raise the LDL cholesterol levels leading to heart disease and strokes.

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Polyunsaturated fatty acids:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids include the omega 6 and the omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids trigger inflammatory processes in the body causing damage to tissues and vital organs while omega 3 (Linolenic) fatty acids reduce the inflammatory processes and protect the tissues and vital organs from inflammatory damage.

Thus oils rich in the omega 6 oils lead to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and strokes while fats rich in omega 3 protect us from these diseases.

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Monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio:

A high monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio oils help lower total cholesterol and the bad cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol and also reduce the inflammatory processes in the body, thus protecting us from, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

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Comparisons of various oils:

Safflower seed oil:

Safflower seed oil is low in monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, 15 per cent, very high in omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids, 77 per cent and has zero omega 3 (Linolenic) fatty acids.

Thus it has a very bad monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and completely lacs omega 3 (Linolenic) fatty acids.

Sunflower seed oil:

Sunflower seed oil is low in monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, 25 per cent, very high in omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids, 64 per cent and is very low in omega 3 (Linolenic) fatty acids, 0 to 3 per cent.

Thus it too has a bad monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and completely or nearly completely lacs omega 3 (Linolenic) fatty acids.

Soy oil:

Soy oil is rich in omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids, 54 per cent and lower in monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, 23 per cent plus it has 10 per cent saturated fatty acids too.

Thus it has a bad monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and also has substantial saturated fats.

Rice bran oil:

Rice bran oil has 41.4 per cent monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, about 35 per cent omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids and about 20 per cent saturated fatty acids.

Thus it doesn’t have a high monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and is also high in saturated fatty acids.

Cotton seed oil:

Cotton seed oil is rich in omega 6 (Linoleic) fatty acids, 55 per cent, low in monounsaturated (oleic) fatty acids, 17 per cent and high in saturated fatty acids, 22 to 29 per cent.

Thus it has a bad monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and is also high in saturated fatty acids.

Sesame oil:

Sesame oil has 43 per cent each monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and 13 per cent saturated fatty acids.

Thus it too lacks a high monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio.

Canola oil:

Canola oil has a very favourable fatty acid composition, about 57 to 65 per cent monounsaturated fatty acids, 17 to 21 omega 6 fatty acid, about 12 per cent omega 3 fatty acids and about 6 per cent saturated fatty acids.

But it comes from a genetically modified plant and is an industry manufactured oil.

Mustard oil:

Mustard oil in fact has a very good balance of the monounsaturated fatty acids to the polyunsaturated fatty acids (60 gm to 21 gm per 100 gm of oil) as well as the omega 6 to the plant source omega 3 or ALA (15 gm to 6 gm per 100 gm of oil ratio).

But it also has the erucic acid, an omega 6 fatty acid that has been connected to heart disease.

Also its pungent odour and taste are unacceptable to most people in our region.

Flaxseed oil:

Flaxseed oil has 9 gm saturated fatty acids, 18 gm monounsaturated fatty acids and almost 75 gm polyunsaturated fatty acids, of which 18 gm is omega 6 fatty acids and 55 to 58 gm plant source omega 3 or ALA fatty acids.

Thus it has a very poor monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio, not very conducive to heart health.

Also the oil is easily oxidised when exposed to light, air and heat. Its smoking point is low, hence it is unsuitable to Indian style high temperature cooking and it has to stored in a refrigerator to prevent its oxidation.

It can at best be used as cold dressing oil as a small supplement to the main cooking oil.

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Industry Manufactured Oils versus Cold Pressed Oils:

Industry manufactured oils like soya oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower seed oil (kardai), Canola oil, cottonseed oil are considered bad fats by many nutritionists.

The use of heat and chemicals in extracting and refining these oils alters their fatty acid structures and trans fats and other toxic substances are developed in them, turning them unhealthy.

Cold pressed oils in contrast retain the original fatty acids composition of their oil seeds.

Today many researchers are asking us to shun all industrially produced oils and recommend cold pressed oils.

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Groundnut Oil and Olive Oil:

That leaves us with the choice of cold pressed groundnut oil and olive oil!

Both oils have similar ability to control inflammation.

Olive oil has a better monounsaturated to omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids than groundnut oil.

But olive oil which has a comparatively lower smoking point than groundnut oil cannot be considered as a premium cooking and frying oil for Indian style of cooking which involves deep frying.

Groundnut oil reportedly has greater oxidative stability and higher smoking point as compared to olive oil and has been considered as a premium cooking and frying oil as compared to olive oil. Gomez et. al., 2003 have shown that the phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil get damaged very quickly by heat along with a loss of Vitamin E.

The preliminary analysis of blood samples from people who have been consuming groundnut and olive oil since one year do not show any significant differences in the biochemical parameters assessed.

Only it is important to consume groundnut oil in moderation, to keep our omega 6 fatty acids consumption low.

But this is true of any other oil as excess oil consumption will also lead to obesity.

Studies have also shown that resveratrol, a phenolic antioxidant present in groundnuts reduces the risk of vascular disease caused by angiotensin a hormone that causes the arteries to contract and leads to raised blood pressure which damages the endothelial lining of the arteries leading to heart disease and strokes, amongst damage to other organs. Resveratrol also protects the arteries by increasing the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide.

Groundnuts also are high in the powerful antioxidant, Vitamin E, which protects the cells of the mucosa and skin from the damage caused by oxygen free radicals.

Thus we can conclude that groundnut oil could be the better choice of oils for Indians, than olive oil, both nutritionally as well as economically.

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In short, if you live in India and your oil consumption is moderate, you can safely use groundnut oil.

If you live in India and cook your food at low temperature and don’t mind spending extra money on your oil, or if you use oil only as salad dressing oil or  cook your food at low temperature and live in the US or Europe, you can use olive oil.

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Achieving a healthy balance of fatty acids:

Groundnut or olive oil do not provide us with sea source omega 3 fatty acids.

Sea source omega 3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) are essential for the maintenance of heart, brain and eye health and in preventing inflammation associated with chronic disease like arthritis, asthma and some autoimmune disorders. They are also essential for the proper development of the foetal brain and eyes.

That is why it is important that we maintain a proper balance of healthy of fats in our food.

We can do so by consuming sea fish or omega 3 supplements twice or thrice a week to supplement the monounsaturated fatty acids provided by groundnut or olive oils.

Also read the articles ‘Heart Health Poster Boy Olive Oil Vs Groundnut Oil’, The Good And The Bad Fats’ and the ‘Basics Of Nutrition’ on this website.

Choosing Between Olive Oil And Groundnut Oil!

Hit the internet to search for foods to fight inflammation and the chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and heart disease resulting from it and it invariably comes up with one particular food, the heart health poster boy, the extra virgin olive oil.

Researchers have for sometime now been advising us to use cold pressed monounsaturated dominant oils and olive oil suits the bill perfectly. But so does groundnut oil, also called peanut oil.

But olive oil, especially the extra virgin olive oil has been heavily promoted by the Western World as the poster boy of heart health!

The imported and expensive extra virgin olive oil, while out of reach of the average Indian homes, has found its way into the kitchens of the homes of the affluent Indians, probably in a big way!

Let us see how the homegrown, unglamorous, unadvertised and much cheaper cold pressed groundnut oil compares with extra virgin olive oil, as anti inflammatory and heart healthy oil.

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Both oils are cold pressed monounsaturated fatty acids dominant oils which have lower amounts of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Researchers have known for some time now, that exactly this kind of oils are heart healthy, as they raise the levels of HDL cholesterol and lower levels of LDL cholesterol and they also have anti inflammatory properties.

Recent studies also show, that for a healthy lipid profile a high monounsaturated fatty acid to polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio is desirable and also high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids are beneficial in regulating blood sugar levels.

In this respect, olive oil is superior to groundnut oil as it has higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids than olive oil.

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A team of researchers at The Department Of Biochemistry, Shree Venkateswara College, University Of Delhi, has conducted a year long study of the effects of both oils on various health parameters of people consuming the two oils, including lipid profile, blood glucose, liver function efficiency, antioxidant status (lipid peroxides and antioxidant enzymes) and inflammatory properties (nitric oxide) in blood samples collected from populations who have been consuming olive oil  or groundnut oil as a staple oil for at least one year.

The study did not include diabetic patients, but it showed that the blood sugars levels of people in the study were normal at the end of the year.

The study showed that both olive and groundnut oils matched each other in their performance of keeping the HDL cholesterol levels high and total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels low at the end of one year. If any, groundnut oil people showed up slightly lower levels of triglycerides.

Both groups showed normal liver function meaning both groups had normal metabolism and no metabolic syndrome.

One of the marketing strategies of olive oil is that it contains increased amount of polyphenols / antioxidants which help reduce oxidative stress and promote overall health in consumers. So both oils were investigating for these activities and it was found that groundnut oil consumers also showed the same lipid peroxide levels as the olive oil consumers, adequate activity of antioxidant enzymes and comparable levels of nitric oxide, indicating that ground nut oil was as effective as olive oil on providing protection against oxidative damage and stress.

Also olive oil which has a comparatively lower smoking point than groundnut oil cannot be considered as a premium cooking and frying oil for Indian style of cooking which involves deep frying.

Groundnut oil reportedly has greater oxidative stability and higher smoking point as compared to olive oil and has been considered as a premium cooking and frying oil as compared to olive oil. Gomez et. al., 2003 have shown that the phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil gets damaged very quickly by heat along with a loss of Vitamin E.

The preliminary analysis of blood samples from people who have been consuming groundnut and olive oil since one year do not show any significant differences in the biochemical parameters assessed.

Although more research is needed, the contention of the researchers is that groundnut oil could be the better choice of oils for Indians, than olive oil, both nutritionally as well as economically.

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Studies have also shown that resveratrol, a phenolic antioxidant present in groundnuts reduces the risk of vascular disease caused by angiotensin a hormone that causes the arteries to contract and leads to raised blood pressure which damages the endothelial lining of the arteries leading to heart disease and strokes, amongst damage to other organs. Resveratrol also protects the arteries by increasing the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide.

Groundnuts also are high in the powerful antioxidant, Vitamin E, which protects the cells of the mucosa and skin from the damage caused by oxygen free radicals.

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In short, if you live in India and your oil consumption is moderate, you can safely use groundnut oil.

If you cook your food at low temperature and don’t mind spending extra money on your oil, or if you cook your food at low temperature and live in the US or Europe, you can use olive oil.

Also read the articles ’Basics Of Nutrition’ and the ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ on this website.

Health Benefits Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids!

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three macronutrients of our nutrition.

Fats are composed of fatty acids.

Fatty acids are of four types, the monounsaturated fatty acids, the polyunsaturated fatty acids, the saturated fatty acids and the trans fatty acids.

Of these, the body can synthesise most of the fatty acids from other fatty acids, except the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Hence they must to be acquired from food. So they are also called the essential fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids include Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

The omega 3 fatty acids are majorly of three types, namely the Eicosapentaenoic acid  or EPA, docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA.

Of these the DHA and EPA are the sea source or marine omega 3 and ALA is the plant source omega 3.

Marine algae are rich in the DHA and EPA.

Marine fish get the DHA and EPA from these algae.

We get DHA and the EPA fatty acids from these marine fish and ALA from plant sources, like walnuts, some oils like mustard oil and soy oil, flax seeds and flaxseed oil and leafy vegetables.

Seaweed, nori, spirulina, chlorella are some of the sea algae which contain DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids, but vegetarian people knowing about them or the chances of their being available and being consumed in India are slim.

Omega 3 are an important constituent of the cell membrane of all tissues of the body, they also have a role to play in the functioning of the receptors on the cell membrane and their genetic functions and in the formation of hormones essential for blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of the arterial walls and in the prevention of inflammation in the walls of the arteries.

Inflammation of the arterial walls leads to the development of arteriosclerosis or hardening and thickening of the arteries which lose their elasticity and this causes the blood pressure to go up.

This inflammation also causes atherosclerosis or development of plaques in and on the arterial walls.

This leads to narrowing of the arteries leading to heart disease, strokes and kidney disease depending upon which arteries are affected.

By preventing or reducing this inflammation, omega 3 help protect us against coronary artery (heart) disease and strokes.

They also help relieve the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

They help lower blood pressure, regulate and lower the heart rate and improve the functioning of the arteries. They prevent irregular heart rhythm and arrhythmias, which accounts for majority of the cardiac deaths in the US and also kill lacs of people all over the world, every year.

DHA is also essential for the proper development of the brain and other parts of the nervous system of a baby from the first trimester of the mother’s pregnancy to the time the baby is two years old.

Marine omega 3 also help prevent ADHD and reduce the severity of asthma in children.

One large study (GISSI Prevention Trial) has found that heart attack survivors put on daily 1 gm supplement of omega 3 for three years were less likely to have another heart attack or stroke or die suddenly than those who took placebo.

In a recent Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS), it was found that those who took an EPA supplement along with statin (cholesterol lowering group of drugs) were less likely to suffer from a sudden cardiac event than those who took only statin.

So along with the evidence that they prevent heart disease and strokes, omega-3 fats have been shown to help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in some cancer and other conditions.

Omega 3 are also beneficial for the health of the skin and the eyes.

By reducing inflammation, they help reduce acne lesions, improve hydration of the skin and help reduce redness, dryness and itching of skin in different conditions like dermatitis and psoriasis, helps relieve symptoms of sun burns due to ultraviolet A and B rays. They also help wound healing.

They are an important constituent of the structure of the retina and are essential for the health of the eye and vision. They are also linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration which is one of the major reasons of blindness in the world.

They are also linked to lowered risk of depression and anxiety and relieve symptoms like sadness, lethargy and lack of interest in life and fear, panic and restlessness.

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Are there any alternative sources of marine omega 3, DHA and EPA?

Unfortunately most of the health benefits of omega 3 are due to the marine omega 3, DHA and EPA.

The plant source omega 3 or ALA doesn’t have the same benefits.

A small amount of ALA is converted by our bodies into marine omega 3 at a slow pace, but this is not enough, so non fish eaters lose out on the benefits of marine omega 3, which are obtained only by eating marine fish.

Contrary to the claims made by some poultry industries, eggs of chicken fed on flax seeds do not have much marine omega 3.

So the only source of marine omega 3 remains marine fish or fish oil.

But the fact remains that purely vegetarian people too can live long and healthy life.

So don’t try to eat fish if you have never eaten it!

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How much sea fish is enough to get adequate omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA?

Adults should eat about 170 gm sea fish twice a week and children between the ages of 2 to 8 years between 40 to 85 gm and children over 9 years between 115 to 140 gm twice a week to get enough of the two omega 3 fatty acids.

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How to cook fish to preserve more of the omega 3 available in the fish?

Boiling, steaming or cooking fish in a gravy, or baking it at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or smoking fish (not a common practice in India) can preserve much of the omega 3 in fish.

Cooking fish in a microwave at 200 degrees or lower temperature can also help retain most of the omega 3 intact.

The key to keeping the healthy omega 3 in your sea fish intact on cooking appears to be cooking it at a lower temperature than about 200 degrees and cooking it quickly in about 20 minutes, may even be at a lower temperature if for a little longer time frame.

Higher temperatures and longer cooking time completely alters the chemical structure of the fatty acids in the fish so it doesn’t resemble the original chemical structure of the fish lipids. High heat also helps develop the very harmful trans fatty acids and some other toxic substances in fish.

Deep frying or pan frying fish or cooking it in a tandoor are all done at high temperature which destroys most of the omega 3 in fish

Canning fish also destroys much or most of the omega 3 in fish.

Also read the articles ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Good And The Bad Fats’ and the ‘Effect Of Cooking On Omega 3 In Fish’ on this website.

The Threat Of Pre Diabetes!

Even when I started my pioneering obesity clinic in Pune four decades ago, it was clear that we were fast becoming the world capital of diabetes and heart disease!

But the threat of a condition called pre diabetes was not as commonly recognised then as it is today.

Currently the commonest fear with which young people are approaching me to help them get over their weight and health issues is the threat of going from pre diabetes to full blown diabetes!

What exactly is pre diabetes?

Pre diabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar levels are raised above normal but are still lower than the diagnostic levels of diabetes.

The HbA1c or the glycated haemoglobin levels lie between 5.7 and 6.4 per cent, just below the diagnostic levels of diabetes, 6.5 per cent and above.

Pre diabetes is a condition that is part of the metabolic syndrome, characterised by obesity, especially abdominal obesity, hypertension, raised levels of triglycerides and LDL, the bad cholesterol and lowered levels of HDL, the good cholesterol.

LDL cholesterol causes blocks in the coronary arteries which leads to heart disease and myocardial infarctions or heart attacks and HDL cholesterol cleanses the coronary arteries off these blocks and protects us from heart disease.

Pre diabetes is considered the stepping stone towards developing diabetes and some of the complications of diabetes can affect the pre diabetics too.

Pre diabetes is diagnosed by checking the the blood sugar fasting and post prandial levels, the glucose tolerance test, the HbA1c, the blood insulin levels and the lipid profile. Abdominal obesity and hypertension confirm the presence of pre diabetes.

Pre diabetes may not have any recognisable signs and symptoms, that makes it even more difficult to diagnose.

But some people may have the same symptoms as those of diabetes, like excessive thirst, increased urination and fatigue and they could indicate that you aught to rule out pre diabetes and diabetes.

If you are suffering from obesity, especially abdominal obesity, have family history of diabetes, have a sedentary lifestyle, you should check your blood pressure, blood sugars, blood insulin, HbA1c and lipid profile, to screen for pre diabetes.

The causes of developing pre diabetes could be family history of diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, stress, older age, ladies who have had history of gestational diabetes and have had high birth weight (more than 9 pound) babies.

When carbohydrates are digested, they are absorbed in blood as sugar and the blood sugar levels increase.

In response to this the pancreas releases insulin in blood and insulin helps transport the sugar to various tissues of the body and under its influence, the cells of the tissues take up sugar from the blood and utilise it for the energy that they require for their functions.

 Under the influence of insulin the liver also stores more sugar for providing energy to the body later.

This lowers the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels.

But when you eat too much sweets or sugary food regularly, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin to bring down the blood sugar to normal.

After a while the cells of the various tissues stop responding adequately to the insulin and do not absorb sugar efficiently.

This means the cells of the tissues develop insulin resistance.

This causes both, the blood sugar and the blood insulin levels to stay high.

This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.

When the capacity of the liver and the muscle cells to store sugar is over, the excess blood sugar is stored in the fat cells of various fat depots in the body and our weight increases, gradually leading to obesity.

Diagnostic levels of pre diabetes:

Fasting Blood Sugar Levels: Between 110 to 125 (WHO) or 100 to 125 (American Diabetes Association)

Sugar Tolerance Test: Between 140 and 199 mg/dL two hours after taking standardised 75 gm glucose solution.

Glycated Haemoglobin or HbA1c levels between 5.7 to 6.4 per cent.

Levels above these are diagnostic of diabetes.

Reversing Pre Diabetes:

The earlier that the condition of pre diabetes is diagnosed, the greater are the chances that it can be reversed.

How to reverse Pre Diabetes:

Getting physically more active and exercising regularly, walking adequately is the safest exercise, improves the insulin sensitivity of the cells of different tissues of our body.

That is the reason why exercise is the key to not only diabetes management, but also to our overall health and well being!

Keeping your consumption of sweets low, so it helps keep your blood insulin from rising unnecessarily high.

If you have uncontrollable craving for sweets, eat ample fruits through the day. It will take away the abnormal craving for eating sweets and also add valuable nutrition to your food.

Staying away from sweets with determination for a fortnight, to allow the taste buds on your tongue to get adjusted to not eating them. Once they are retrained, you won’t be able to eat as much sweets anyway.

So, to reverse your pre diabetes, you need to develop healthy food habits, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.

And don’t wait to start all these things till you catch diabetes!

If you start now, you could most likely prevent the development of insulin resistance and pre diabetes!

Also read ‘Sweets, Obesity And Diabetes’, ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’, ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sweets’ and ‘Preventing Diabetes’ on this website.

Eating Too Much Sweets, Obesity And Diabetes!

It was amply clear even when I started my then unique ‘Obesity Clinic’ in Pune, nearly 40 years ago, that our county was poised to be the world capital of diabetes and heart disease!

The three primary reasons for it were that we are genetically more prone to develop both diseases than people in the West and the increasing affluence of the Indian middle class meant that we are eating more calorie rich food and our lifestyles are getting more and more sedentary.

With the modern culture bringing in greater amount of sweets in our food with increasing temptations like rich deserts becoming available with mithai and cake shops and ice cream parlours springing up everywhere and the five star hotel culture introducing us to a rich dessert culture and the television and You Tube master chefs making the average house wives culinary experts, we are eating more and more sweets.

Sugar of course is nearly hundred per cent simple carbohydrate.

When we eat carbohydrates, they are digested and absorbed into the blood as sugar. When the blood sugar rises, the pancreas release the hormone insulin into the blood, to bring down the blood sugar to the normal levels and thus regulate the blood sugar.

The cells of every tissue in the body take up the sugar from the blood under the influence of insulin and use it for the energy that they need for their functions.

The liver also stores more sugar under the influence of insulin, for later use, when the body needs energy.

This brings down the blood sugar and in response, the pancreas cuts down on the insulin production.

This process is smooth and works seamlessly when we are healthy.

But when we eat too much of sweets or carbohydrates, a lot of sugar enters the blood.

This forces the pancreas to produce more insulin than normal, to influence the cells of various tissues to take up more sugar to control the blood sugar levels.

And if we continue to eat a lot of sweets regularly, after some time the various cells of the body respond less efficiently to the available insulin and do not absorb the sugar from the blood adequately.

This means that they become insulin resistant.

With the result, the blood sugar levels increase and so does the level of blood insulin.

This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.

Under the influence of these raised levels of insulin, the liver and muscles store more sugar and when their capacity of storing sugar is full, this excess sugar is converted into fat and stored in various fat depots.

This leads to development of obesity.

This means our blood insulin, blood sugar and weight, all go up.

Over a period of time eating too much sugar and sweets leads to obesity and diabetes!

Also read the articles ‘Abdominal Obesity, Diabetes And Heart Disease‘, ‘Preventing Diabetes’ and the ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’ and ‘Insulin Resistance And Diabetes’ on this website.

The Process Of Developing Insulin Resistance And Diabetes!

Any one can become diabetic.

It is not a must to have a family history of diabetes to develop the disease.

Yes, you have a greater chance of developing the disease if you have a family history of diabetes.

But you will see that many develop the disease irrespective of a family history of diabetes these days.

That is why it is vital that we understand that the process of becoming diabetic starts much before the actual onset of the full fledged disease.

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Carbohydrates, Insulin And Blood Sugar

Normally insulin, the hormone produced by pancreas, regulates our blood sugar levels precisely.

The carbohydrates that we consume in our food, enter our blood in the form of sugar and as soon as it enters our blood, the pancreas releases insulin in our blood to regulate the blood sugar.

The cells of every tissue in the body take up the sugar from the blood under the influence of insulin and use it for the energy that they need for their functions.

The liver also stores more sugar under the influence of insulin, for later use, when the body needs energy in between two meals.

This brings down the blood sugar to normal and in response, the pancreas cuts down on the insulin production.

A few hours, typically around four to five hours, the blood sugar levels dip before the next meal.

At this time the liver releases the stored blood sugar in the blood to provide the energy that the body needs and the stored sugar in the liver goes back to normal.

This process is smooth and works seamlessly when we are healthy.

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Insulin Resistance And Pre Diabetes

But when we eat too much of sweets or carbohydrates, a lot of sugar enters the blood.

This forces the pancreas to produce more insulin than normal, to influence the cells of various tissues to take up more sugar to control the blood sugar levels.

But if we continue to eat a lot of sweets regularly, after some time the various cells of the body respond less efficiently to the available insulin and do not absorb the sugar from the blood adequately.

This means that they become insulin resistant.

With the result, the blood sugar levels increase and so does the level of blood insulin.

This raised blood level of insulin is called hyperinsulinemia.

Under the influence of these raised levels of insulin, the liver and muscles store more sugar and when their capacity of storing sugar is full, this excess sugar is converted into fat and stored in various fat depots.

This leads to weight gain.

This means our blood insulin, blood sugar and weight, all go up.

At this stage, not only our blood sugar and insulin, but also our blood triglycerides and the LDL (harmful to the heart) cholesterol levels are likely to go up and our HDL (beneficial to the heart) cholesterol levels are likely to drop below normal.

These are all signs insulin resistance.

This is the pre diabetic stage which eventually can lead to diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

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We yet do not know the exact reasons of insulin resistance, but family history of type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, total lack of exercise and obesity can all be the contributing reasons.

Stress and lack of adequate sleep too could worsen the situation.

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How to reverse insulin resistance

Getting physically more active and exercising regularly, walking adequately is the safest exercise, improves the insulin sensitivity of the cells of different tissues of our body.

That is the reason why exercise is the key to not only diabetes management, but also to our overall health and well being!

Keep your consumption of sweets low, so it helps keep your blood insulin from rising unnecessarily high.

If you have uncontrollable craving for sweets, eat ample fruits through the day. It will take away the abnormal craving for eating sweets and also add valuable nutrition to your food.

Stay away from sweets with determination for a fortnight, to allow the taste buds on your tongue to get adjusted to not eating them. Once they are retrained, you won’t be able to eat as much sweets anyway.

So, to reverse your insulin resistance, you need to develop healthy food habits, eat nutritionally balanced food, exercise regularly, reduce your weight, keep stress low and sleep well.

And don’t wait to do all these things till you catch diabetes!

Start now, so you don’t develop insulin resistance in the first place!

Also read the articles ‘Preventing Diabetes’, and ‘Dangers Of Eating Too Much Sugar’ on this website.

Wheat Is As Healthy As Any Other Cereal!

Wheat is the second largest cultivated cereal crop of the world, next only to maize.

Wheat is the largest staple food of the world population, next only to rice.

The wheat crop cultivation covers more land than any other cereal in the world.

Its turnover in the world market is larger than that of all other cereals put together.

The wheat grain, like all other cereals, has three parts, the bran, the germ and the endosperm.

The bran is the protective outer cover of the grain, the germ develops into a new plant when the seed germinates and the endosperm is the store house of the food of the seed, that the grain uses for energy when the new plant is being developed.

The wheat grain has 71 % carbohydrates, 13 % proteins, fibre, some B vitamins, folate, Vitamins E, some minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and some good fatty acids.

Wheat provides us with 327 calories per hundred gm.

Of these, most of the fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants and fatty acids and 25% of the proteins in the wheat grain are housed in the bran and the germ while the most of the carbohydrates and 75% of the proteins are housed in the endosperm.

The carbohydrates in the whole wheat grain are starch, fibre and some sugars.

Of these, the starch and the fibre are the complex carbohydrates while the sugars are the simple carbohydrates.

Thus wheat is a very important source of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, small amounts of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals of a large proportion of the population of the world.

Wheat, like all other cereals, is deficient in the essential amino acid lysine and hence, by itself it is not a good source of complete proteins.

On the other hand, pulses have lysine but they are deficient in the essential amino acids methionine, tryptophan and cysteine.

And wheat has methionine, tryptophan, and cysteine.

So wheat and pulses together supply us all the essential amino acids and together they become a good source of better quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.

That is why we have chapatis, rice, bhakri together with ‘varan’ / ‘amti’ / ‘dal’ / ‘sambar’ / ‘curry’ or ‘usal’ in both lunch and dinner in our regular meals.

Chapatis, rice, bhakri are all cereals and ‘varan’ / ‘amti’ / ‘dal’ / ‘sambar’ / ‘curry’ or ‘usal’ are all pulses.

Together they provide most of the better quality proteins in a vegetarian diet.

Wheat chapatis or roti are the main ingredient of regular meals for most Indians.

The wheat protein is majorly composed of gluten, constituting 75 to 80 per cent of the wheat protein.

A few people in the world have gluten intolerance and they can’t digest gluten properly and develop abdominal pain, gases, constipation or diarrhoea when they eat wheat.

About 0.5 to 1 per cent people in the world suffer from Celiac disease, a severe autoimmune, chronic disease and can’t eat wheat at all.

Their number is slowly rising probably because of the newer crops developed to increase the yield and disease fighting abilities of the crop and body’s inability to adapt quickly to it. It also may appear to increase because of increased awareness about the illness and also improved diagnosis of the disease.

It is definite that such people shouldn’t eat wheat but that still cannot not be the reason for most of the world population to stop eating wheat which is their staple food.

It is also not right to equate rava and maida with whole wheat, just because they are made from wheat.

Whole wheat is robbed of most of its good nutrition by grinding and separating the germ and the bran from endosperm which is further ground and refined to make rava and maida.

So when we eat rava or maida, we consume only the less nutritious endosperm of the wheat.

Glycemic index of whole wheat is 41, that is low, and that of rava is 66, that is medium and that of maida is over 70, that is high.

That is why rava and maida are bad nutrition

On the other hand, when we eat chapatis made from whole wheat flour, we consume the bran, germ and endosperm together in the whole ground wheat flour.

Currently it has become fashionable to label wheat as unhealthy food.

It is like blaming carbohydrates for weight gain.

Both are passing fads.

But all cereals have more or less similar nutrition.

Various researchers give us slightly variable figures of calories but generally we can say that nachani (325), wheat (329), rice (341 ते 346), jwari (349) and bajri (361) give us more or less similar calories per 100 gm.

Also their glycemic indices and loads are similar.

The whole grain wheat is as nutritious every other cereal.

So you can eat wheat chapatis or bhakri made from nachani, jowar or bajri.

Also read the article ‘Effects Of Rava And Maida On Health’ on this website.

Studying The Effects Of Intermittent Fasting On Health

Intermittent fasting is as ancient as civilisation and has been practiced in all religions for centuries.

An ‘enthusiastic’ paper published by a British doctor over a hundred years ago and lapped up merrily by lay press and very energetically canvassed from time to time by some enthusiastic doctors, all over the world, since the sixties has made sure that it a well known and popular diet.

Some body builders in the West have used intermittent fasting for a long time.

Intermittent fasting includes various kind of diets in which the dieter fasts for different periods of time, with or, more often, without  planned calorie restrictions.

Intermittent fasting are diets in which one goes through regular periods of eating and fasting.

It includes a wide variety of patterns.

Some of the well known varieties are:

Time restricted fasting: It involves fasting for 12 hours or longer and eating two or more meals in the rest of the time window.

The 16:8 or 14:10 kind of diets are of this type. On these diets you eat ad libitum during the 8 hour or 10 hour window and fast for 16 or 14 hours respectively.

The 5:2 diet: It involves eating ad libitum for five days and then eating around 500 or 600 calories for two days, sometimes one day at a time twice a week, or on two consecutive days.

Eat stop eat diet: It involves a full 24 hour fast once or twice a week and eating ad libitum for  the rest of the week. This is an extreme version of the 5:2 diet.

Alternate day diet: It involves eating ad libitum and going on complete fast on alternate days.

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Ad libitum means ‘at one’s pleasure’, meaning eating as much as you please, of whatever you please.

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Available scientific information about intermittent fasting:

Intermittent fasting has generated a fair amount of scientific interest in the last few decades.

Most of the scientific research on the subject has involved animal studies and whatever human studies have been done are of shorter duration and many of them have not taken into account such factors as calorie intake, balance of nutrition and physical activity.

Most of the research on human beings has centred around athletic performance of athletes observing Ramadan. The results are varied, most showing decline in performance of athletes, in both mid and high intensity sports, and none reporting any improvement in performance.

And the results are conflicting, based on the outcome investigated and the methodology used.

Some studies have found worsening of lipids in people gorging on high fat, high sugar, high calorie food in one or two meals than those who nibbled on frequent smaller meals.

This is a very likely outcome, if people will eat two or three high fat, high calorie meals in a window of 10 or even 8 hours and fasted for 14 or 16 hours or even one or two meals in a smaller time window than 8 hours and fasted longer than 16 hours.

Early epidemiological studies have shown increased cardiovascular disease risk on reduced meal frequency and lower total and LDL cholesterol levels in people who reported four or more meals a day as compared to those who reported having one or two meals only.

According to another large cohort study, the Malmo Diet And Cancer Study, the people who ate six or more meals a day had reduced risk of obesity than those who ate three or less meals and the frequent eaters also had lower waist circumference.

On the other hand, animal studies have shown improvement in weight and metabolic markers like blood sugar and blood pressure LDL cholesterol.

According to a 2018 review, different studies show 2.5 to 9.5 per cent of weight and fat loss, but there is little evidence that it is superior to other diets or eating patterns in promoting weight loss.

Calorie restriction is known to improve insulin resistance. After a period of fasting, insulin sensitivity increases and insulin levels drop. These changes result in improved blood sugar levels both during fasting and shortly after eating.

The benefits of fasting also appear to be linked to the Circadian rhythm, which is sometimes also called the ‘body clock’. It is natural for humans to eat during the day and mice to feed during the night.

So the benefits of intermittent fasting are seen when we eat during the day time and fast during the night and exactly the reverse is seen in case of mice.

Abnormal Circadian rhythms may be linked to obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder and sleep disorders such as insomnia.

Intermittent fasting may also cause dizziness, nausea, insomnia, syncope (sudden fainting attacks with loss of consciousness), falls, migraine, weakness, excessive hunger, dehydration and hypotension, in some people.

Diabetics are more likely to suffer from these ill effects. Certain drugs prescribed for the treatment of diabetes also increase the risk of developing these illnesses.

Besides these, many people complain of developing severe hyper acidity on these diets.

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Inference:

There appear to be some benefits of intermittent fasting. Diets based on it could help lower some weight and improve metabolic markers like blood sugar and blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.

These benefits are available only if you don’t gorge on high fat, high sugar, high calorie food in one or two meals during the window of eating. That means you can’t really eat ad libitum.

Eating ad libitum, anything you fancy, as much as you please will not bring you the desired health benefits, even if you follow the rules of intermittent fasting strictly.

It means you still have to eat healthy, you still have to observe the rules of balanced nutrition to get the full benefits of intermittent fasting.

And also the health benefits of intermittent fasting are available only if you follow the Circadian rhythm, that is to eat during the day and fast during the night.

Intermittent fasting is not the only way to improve your blood insulin levels, insulin resistance and blood sugar, much less of losing weight and lowering your blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels and increasing your  HDL cholesterol levels.

If intermittent fasting helps people lose between 2.5 to 9.5 per cent of their excess weight, a 5 foot 70 kg lady can lose approximately between under 2 to 7 kg weight and a 5 foot 6 inch 80 kg man can lose approximately between 2 to 8 kg weight.

On the other hand, balanced food in three or more meals a day and exercising regularly can help both lose full 20 kg weight and get completely slim and have much better metabolic markers, especially the abdominal circumference.

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Intermittent fasting versus balanced nutrition and normal meals:

Intermittent fasting can give you some weight loss and improved metabolic markers.

Most times, intermittent fasting programs are run on mass scale as a diabetes control campaign and not as an individual treatment, individual nutrition is not planned, people are left to choose to their own food, eating ad libitum could be dangerous and exercise may not be a part of the regimen.

Individually planned balanced nutrition in regular meal pattern with three or more meals and regular exercise can give you complete weight loss and much improved metabolic markers.

Those people who habitually eat only two meals a day, viz. lunch and dinner and are not used to having a breakfast, could find intermittent fasting suitable.

Those people who have fixed time slots available for lunch and an early dinner, could find intermittent fasting suitable.

If your work schedule doesn’t allow regular meal hours, intermittent fasting may not suit you.

Many people on intermittent fasting could soon complain of hyper acidity, hunger pangs, possibly headaches and fainting spells.

Such people might not find intermittent fasting suitable.

Some people find it difficult to continue with the intermittent fasting regimen a year or two after starting it successfully initially, for one reason or another and give it up.

There are no long term studies to show how many people stay on, on intermittent fasting long term.

Most people are used to eating at least three meals, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, spread over the day.

So they are more likely to be more comfortable eating in the same pattern all their lives, than switch to eating  two meals during a smaller time window.

So it is for you to take a call on which of the two regimens suits you better.

Please also read ‘Basics Of Nutrition’ and ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ on this website.

Effect Of Post Meal Exercise On Weight, Blood Sugar And Insulin

Exercise any time is extremely beneficial to our health and its effects on your our health are well documented in international research.

Exercise boosts the levels of endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters,
Reduces stress,

Lifts gloom and depression,

Improves self-esteem,

Improves cardiovascular fitness,

Improves lung function,

Lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol, and LDL Cholesterol and triglycerides,

Improves HDL, the good Cholesterol,

Protects us from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and strokes,
And boosts immunity.

Exercise also improves our metabolic health.

People with better metabolic health generate more energy and and use it more efficiently, burn fat better and maintain a healthy weight easier. They also have more energy and better memories.

Effect of insulin and exercise after a meal on blood sugar:

Carbohydrates in our food raise our blood glucose levels, when they are digested and absorbed in our small intestines.

Our body releases insulin in response to the raised blood sugar levels. Insulin influences muscle, liver and fat cells, amongst others, to absorb this extra sugar from the blood, so the blood sugar levels are brought down to normal.

Research has shown that exercising after a meal has similar effect on blood sugar and much better effect on overall health.

How exactly does post meal exercise lower our blood sugar?

Exercising after a meal triggers three mechanisms to occur simultaneously.
It causes the heart to pump more glucose rich blood to our muscles, triggers complex changes in certain enzymes further boosting glucose transport to muscles and the muscle membranes to become more efficient at absorbing glucose.

Exercise increases glucose uptake by muscles fifty times more than in a sedentary person.

With the result, our muscle cells get the extra glucose they need during a workout and our blood glucose levels drop, without the body needing to deploy extra insulin.

This is the reason why exercise after a meal lowers both the blood sugar levels as well as blood insulin levels.

Sustained high levels of insulin are harmful to the body as they eventually lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Maintaining low insulin levels is very beneficial to health.

When is the best time to exercise after a meal, to lower our blood sugar?

New research suggests that post meal exercise has special benefits if done after thirty minutes of a meal, up to maximum of six hours after the meal. As per one study, the best time is between thirty minutes to two hours.

But if you consume a liquid meal like a milkshake or a smoothie, the best time is to exercise immediately after the meal, as the blood sugar spikes immediately as liquid meals are absorbed much faster than a solid meal.

Which kind of exercise is most beneficial to lower blood sugar and insulin levels best?

Researchers have found that medium intensity exercise like walking lowers blood sugar and insulin best.

How much time should one walk after meals to lower blood sugar and insulin levels?

Thirty minutes would be ideal, but even ten minutes would be fine compared to being sedentary post meals.

Keeping moving around a little every half hour too would be more beneficial than being sedentary.

To summarise:

Exercising after a meal helps improve our metabolic health, lowers our blood sugar and blood insulin levels and helps us maintain a healthy weight and boosts our energy levels and memory.

That is the reason why exercising after a meal is very beneficial to our long term health!

It could be life saving if you are a diabetic!

Also read the articles ‘Science Of Exercise’ and ‘Walking To be Slim And Healthy’, on this website.

Learning What GI And GL Are And How They Affect Blood Sugar

Most people have heard about the Glycemic Index (GI) And Glycemic Load (GL).

Let’s learn what they exactly are.

Glycemic Index is a numerical value assigned to a food as per how quickly or slowly it raises your blood sugar when compared with 100 gm pure glucose. The speed of 100 gm glucose is considered 100 and all other foods are given a numerical value of between 0 and 100, as per the speed at which they raise the blood sugar.

The thumb rule is, the more processed a food is, the higher its GI, and the more fiber or fat in a food, the lower it’s GI.

The lower the Glycemic Index of a food, the slower it raises your blood sugar and the higher the Glycemic Index of a food, the faster it raises your blood sugar.

So obviously, we should be looking to avoid high Glycemic Index foods if we are watching our blood sugar or watching our weight and health in general.

But does Glycemic Index tell us the whole story?

No, it doesn’t.

Glycemic Index of water melon is pretty high, between 75 to 80, but the amount of glucose in a serving of it is very low, so its Glycemic Load is very low, at 5. This means diabetic people can eat watermelon in spite of its high Glycemic Index, without worrying about their sugar climbing up much.

This is the reason why we need another kind of measurement system of a food’s impact on our blood sugar.

Glycemic Load fulfils that requirement.

Glycemic Load is the number that tells us how much a food is going to raise our blood sugar, not just how quickly, when we consume it. The amount of rise in our blood sugar is considered as one unit, when we consume 1 gm glucose.

So obviously the Glycemic Index and the Glycemic Load are two different measures of the effect of a food on our blood sugar.

Glycemic Load is calculated by multiplying the grams of available carbohydrate in the food by the food’s glycemic index, and then dividing by 100.

Thus the Glycemic Load not only takes into account both how quickly a food raises our blood sugar, but also how much glucose it delivers into our blood, per serving.

Glycemic Load can be calculated for any size serving of a food, an entire meal, or an entire day’s meals.

The verdict:

There are experts who advocate using one or both of the above numbers in choosing your food if you are a diabetic. Others believe that using these numbers is too complex.

The American Diabetes Association, on the other hand, says that the total amount of carbohydrate in a food, rather than its glycemic index or load, is a stronger predictor of what will happen to blood sugar.

But reaching and staying at a healthy weight is more important for our blood sugar and our overall health.

So instead of worrying too much about Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, learn to eat healthy, balanced food in moderation, focusing on food that includes whole grain cereals and pulses in moderation and vegetables and fruits and avoiding simple and processed carbohydrates and excess fat and lose weight by walking or taking up any more vigorous cardiovascular exercise if you are fitter.

The slimmer and fitter that you are, the better will be your sugar control.

Read the articles ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘Preventing Diabetes’ and ‘The Good And The Bad Carbohydrates’ on this website.