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Diet Rich in Low Fat Dairy Can Help Diabetics Lose Weight

Diet Rich in Low Fat Dairy Can Help Diabetics Lose Weight

July 11, 2008

Medical Research, Press Releases

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL – March 15, 2007 – Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have discovered that a diet rich in low fat dairy calcium helps weight loss in overweight Type-2 diabetes patients. These findings appear in the March 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.


The researchers studied 259 overweight diabetic patients and placed them on one of three diets: 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. Foods with refined sugars and simple starches have a high glycemic index, while those with more complex carbohydrates and fiber have a low glycemic index.


Low-fat dairy consumption varied within and across the groups. The results found that even while consuming more calories, those with the highest intake of dairy calcium had the greatest odds of a weight loss of greater than eight percent when compared with those who had the lowest intake of dairy calcium.


“These results could really offer a breakthrough for diabetic patients,” said Dr. Danit R. Shahar of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “The study is especially life changing for those overweight patients that struggle to stay on other diets for weight loss. While a diet high in low-fat dairy may not be the least amount of calories, it can offer the greatest amount of weight loss according to these studies,” she said.


Led by Dr. Shahar, the team also included researchers from the S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Clalit Health Services in Rishon Lezion, Israel.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

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