Weight Control at WeightControl.com

Red Raspberries May Help Control Blood Sugar in Prediabetes

WeightControl.com Interview with:
Britt Burton–Freeman, Ph.D
Director of the Center for Nutrition Research at IFSH
Associate Professor, Food Science and Nutrition
Illinois Institute of Technology

"Raspberries" by theslowlane is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 — “Raspberries” by theslowlane

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Red raspberries contain appreciable amounts of dietary fiber and a variety of other nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium and potassium. They also contain phytochemicals, such as polyphenols with documented biological activity suggesting metabolic benefits. However, there is limited data assessing the potential effects of red raspberries in humans, particularly in those people who might benefit the most, ie., people at risk for diabetes mellitus.

We investigated the health benefits of consuming 1-2 cups of red raspberries in a group of people who were overweight/obesity and had prediabetes and insulin resistance.

The results showed that when a breakfast meal was consumed with raspberries, less insulin was needed to manage blood sugar compared with a meal with no raspberries. Moreover, when two cups of red raspberries were included in the breakfast meal, blood sugar concentrations were significantly lower compared to consuming breakfast without raspberries.

Same Health Benefits with Fast or Slow Weight Loss

WeightControl.com Interview with:

Jennifer L. Kuk, PhD
Associate Professor
York University
School of Kinesiology and Health Science
Sherman Health Science Research Centre, Rm 2002
Toronto, Ontario

WeightControl.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Traditionally, weight loss is prescribed at the rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week. However, this is largely based on the observation that weight losses faster than 2 pounds per week put patients at an increased risk for gallstones. It is unclear whether this is the optimal rate of weight loss for CVD or diabetes outcomes. Furthermore, fast weight loss has historically thought to be associated with poorer long term weight loss. However, this was largely based on research using liquid diets. Recent evidence suggests that faster weight loss may be similar to slower weight loss when more sensible lifestyle interventions are used. Thus, if there are additional benefits of faster weight loss for CVD or diabetes outcomes, then there may a rationale for prescribing faster weight loss as the overall rate of gallstones is fairly low.

We observed that those who lose weight faster than 2lb/wk tend to lose more weight overall, but for the same overall weight loss, there is no difference in terms of health benefits with fast or slow weight loss.