I’ve known for many years that nuts are a good food item for the diabetic menu and are a healthy addition to the diabetic food list for anyone who us not allergic to nuts, as some people are, including two of my own children. But for the rest of us, whether diabetic or not, nuts provide essential nutrient minerals, vitamins, and fats.
Almost all nuts are significant sources of antioxidants and they contain an abundance of monounsaturated fats, the good type of fat that can help stabilize blood sugar and help in weight loss when replacing animal sources of fat — and they are a good item for the heart-healthy diet too. Some nuts are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids and most are good sources of dietary fiber, something lacking in most North American diets. An ounce or so of nuts can make a good occasional in-between-meals snack.
Brazil nuts and selenium
Brazil nuts are often recommended as a good source of the essential trace mineral selenium, that in its structural and enzymatic role is of fundamental importance, like so many other minerals, to human health. The body uses selenium in support of the immune system, it is an antioxidant and a catalyst in the production of active thyroid hormone.
There are many other health benefits derived from the presence of selenium in the human body. It is believed that selenium may play a part in preventing or delaying the onset of AIDS. When available to the body in greater than normal amounts, it may also help diminish oxidative stress and inflammation, a major factor in heart disease. Also at higher than the minimum recommended intake levels, some studies appear to confirm the claim that selenium plays a part in preventing several types of cancer. But it is also known that very high doses of selenium are toxic to the body.
Brazil nuts contain more selenium than any other food, and while there have long been claims that some segments of the north American population may be deficient in selenium due to the lack of the element in the soils of some areas, in actuality the human body needs only a very small amount of selenium for good health.
Helpful in diabetes?
Selenium has also been claimed as being helpful in diabetes. In the diabetes literature it is sometimes referred to as an “insulin mimic” because it can perform a similar role to insulin in assisting the take-up of blood sugars into the body’s cells. In this way, selenium protects the blood vessels and nerves from damage caused by the higher than normal blood sugars that would otherwise be circulating. A common diabetic ailment is vascular neuropathy, the result of elevated blood sugars, and over time, many other tissues and organs become damaged by excess levels of sugar in the bloodstream.
A study from New Zealand
In February of 2008, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported a study from new Zealand that concluded that Brazil nuts, a rich natural source of selenium, improve the bioavailability of selenium in humans, meaning that the body can absorb and effectively use the selenium in the Brazil nuts.
However, a cautionary note
In a study carried out a few years ago, it was concluded that too much selenium may be harmful and in some cases might increase the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. That study was not established to look into any relationship with diabetes but type-2 diabetes was seen to have developed at an above average rate in some participants during the period of research.
Researchers involved, wrote in an editorial to the study that “Taking selenium supplements on top of an adequate dietary intake, may increase their risk for diabetes”, adding “That’s just a theory at this point, but that theory may be biologically plausible”. They also pointed out that most people in America do get sufficient selenium from their diet.
And a study on nuts in general
In another controlled study, conducted at the University of Toronto, the findings supported the claim that a variety of nuts may be a “vital” way to manage diabetes. The study concluded that nuts may improve sugar levels and blood fats in individuals with type-2 diabetes. The study participants were all taking oral diabetes medications at the time.
The study findings showed that there was a significant reduction in HbA1c levels in those participants who followed what was described as a “full dose mixed nut supplement”, indicating a greater glycemic control and higher degree of effectively managing diabetes”.
I don’t have the details of the full dose but I’m sure the point is accepted. That same group also achieved significantly lowered LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol levels when compared to the other study participants.
Recommended RDA for selenium is 55 mg per day
The recommended daily intake for adults over 19 years of age according to the National Health Institute is 55mg daily. Since a single Brazil nut is estimated to contain about 50 mg of selenium and an individual is probably getting some selenium for other food sources on the diabetic menu, just one Brazil nut a day seems sufficient to meet everyone’s needs, but two nuts should not hurt either — but not too many more to avoid a build-up of selenium in the body’s tissues.
Brazil nuts come in different sizes and vary in their selenium content, some may contain much more or much less than the estimated 50 micrograms per nut.
So how many nuts is that again?
Only one, or two, Brazil nuts per day can supply the RDA – (Recommended Daily Allowance) as indicated by the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH).
Brazil nuts are available in some food stores and in most “bulk food“ stores, and food sources of selenium are better than supplements that often have much higher amounts. Choose the unsalted nuts when possible.
Selenium occurs also in some meats and seafood. But not all soils contain sufficiently high levels of selenium. Animals that eat grains or plants growing in selenium-rich soil have higher levels of selenium in their muscles.
In conclusion, non diabetes references on selenium and cancer
High selenium
It appears that death from cancer, including lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers, is lower among people who have higher blood levels or a higher intake of selenium.
Low selenium
Also, in areas of the United States where there is a low selenium content in the soil, the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer is much higher. In seven U.S. dermatology clinics in the U.S. from 1983 to the early 1900’s, studies were carried out on how the recurrence of different types of cancers were affected by higher than normal RDA’s of selenium in the form of supplements.
While it was found that 200 mg of selenium did not affect the recurrence of skin cancers, it did significantly reduce the occurrence and death from total cancers. The incidence of lung cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal being notably lower.
Researchers conclude that selenium can affect cancer risk in two ways. Selenium, an anti-oxidant, can help protect the body from free radicals damage. And selenium, by improving the activity of immune cells and by suppressing the development of blood vessels that feed the tumor, may also slow or prevent the growth of tumors.
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