Diabetes

The relationship between development of diabetes with blood group (A, B, AB and O), Rhesus factor (positive and negative) and both put together was assessed recently. This analysis was conducted on 82,104 female French teachers who were a part of the E3N (Etude Epidemiologique aupres des femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l’Education Nationale) study. Out of these, 3,553 women were diagnosed with diabetes during follow-up (1990-2008). Study participants with diabetes were followed for 13.20 years and those without for 16.48 years.

No association was found between the presence or absence of Rhesus factor and diabetes risk. However, compared to O blood group, A and B groups showed increased diabetes risk of 10% and 21%, respectively. When combined analysis of blood group and Rhesus factor was done, people with A+, A-, AB+ blood groups were 17%, 22% and 26% more likely to develop diabetes as compared to O- (universal donor). The highest risk was seen with the B+ blood group (35%).

Since this assessment was conducted only in females, the result may or may not be applicable to males. The study authors, however, state that the effect is likely to be gender-independent.

So what type of diet is beneficial in lowering the risk of diabetes?

According to the Harvard School of Public Health:

Again, protein quality matters more than protein quantity when it comes to diabetes risk.

• A recent study found that people who ate diets high in red meat, especially processed red meat, had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate red or processed meat.  For each additional serving a day of red meat or processed red meat that study participants ate, their risk of diabetes rose 12 and 32 percent, respectively.

• Substituting one serving of nuts, low-fat dairy products, or whole grains for a serving of red meat each day lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by an estimated 16 to 35 percent.

• Another study also shows that red meat consumption may increase risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that people who started eating more red meat than usual were found to have a 50% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during the next four years, and researchers also found that those who reduced red meat consumption lowered their type 2 diabetes risk by 14% over a 10-year follow-up period.

• More evidence that protein quality matters comes from a 20-year study that looked at the relationship between low-carbohydrate diets and type 2 diabetes in women. Low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat and protein modestly reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes. (13) But low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal sources of protein or fat did not show this benefit.

For type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes), proteins found in cow’s milk have been implicated in the development of the disease in babies with a predisposition to the disease, but research remains inconclusive.

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