Diabetes: Rice bran - the cholesterol-lowering oil found to drive blood sugar levels down by 30 per cent, says study

• We live in a world that puts too much emphasis on professional success measured in terms of rank, paycheque, assets.

• The biggest asset we end up neglecting while in this rat race is our body.

• And when lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity etc. set in, we wonder if it is too late to make lifestyle changes now

While lifestyle diseases like diabetes can be prevented before their onset by staying aware of how to tweak the lifestyle, very few of us do anything about it. Later, when we are affected by the disease, it becomes imperative that we put the brakes and make the change.

If you are diabetic, you are also warned by your doctor against attempting sudden and severe fasting as there is a threat of blood sugar levels dipping to a dangerously low count and thus creating a threat of coma.

It's a dilemma you should deal with. Too little food in proportion to your diabetes medications — especially insulin — may result in dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), warns Mayo Clinic. Too much food may cause your blood sugar level to climb too high (hyperglycemia). Both situations are undesirable and life-threatening. Therefore, talk to your diabetes health care team about how to best coordinate meal and medication schedules. 

Swap your regular cooking oil for Rice Bran oil:
Not just obesity and alcoholism, even the oils that you eat can affect your blood sugar levels. Rice bran is considered one of the healthiest oils for the heart. 

UK daily newspaper Express.co.uk cites research published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, supplementation with products derived from stabilised rice bran brought significant changes to blood sugar levels of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Rice bran oil-derived products could lower blood sugar levels by 30 per cent.

Doctor Asaf Qureshi, lead investigator of the study, and his team found that consuming 20 grams of Rice bran oil-based product consumed per day, for 60 days, lowered blood sugar levels by 30 per cent for type 1 diabetic and 20 per cent for type 2 diabetics.

“Not only did we find a decrease in the blood glucose levels, but we also found significant effects in lowering triglycerides and apolipoprotein B levels in these diabetic patients," Dr Qureshi told Express.

What is Rice bran oil?
Extracted from the outer layer of rice, known as the bran layer, rice bran is believed to drive down glycosylated haemoglobin, and increase insulin levels.

Further research published in the American Journal of Medicine (of studies carried out in two big hospitals in Delhi NCR) echoes these findings, stating that an oil derivative of rice bran offered promising results when combined with sesame oil.

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Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a professional healthcare provider if you have any specific questions about any medical matter.