Low-fat dairy helps diabetics lose weight

WEIGHT BUSTER: A diet rich in low-fat dairy boosts weight loss in diabetes patients, says research.

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New York: Research results suggest that a diet rich in low-fat dairy calcium boosts weight loss in overweight type 2 diabetics.

"Such a diet should be tried in diabetic patients," researchers conclude, particularly in those individuals who have a tough time sticking to other weight loss diets.

The weight-loss promoting effect of dairy calcium came to light in ancillary analyses of data from a study in which 259 overweight diabetic patients were put on a mixed glycemic index diet, a low-glycemic index diet, or a modified Mediterranean diet.

Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food causes blood sugar, or "glucose," to rise.

Generally, foods with refined sugars and simple starches, like candy and white bread, have a high glycemic index, while those with more complex carbohydrates and greater fiber content, such as vegetables and whole grains, have a low glycemic index.

Dr Danit R Shahar from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva and colleagues found that a higher intake of low-fat dairy products among overweight type 2 diabetic patients on a calorie-restricted diet enhanced the weight loss process over 6 months.

People with the highest intake of dairy calcium had 2.4-fold increased odds of weight loss of greater than 8 percent compared with people with the lowest intake of dairy calcium, despite consuming more calories.

Based on the current findings, "the recommendation for a diet rich in low-fat dairy products seems highly appropriate for weight loss among diabetic patients," the authors conclude in the journal Diabetes Care.