Blackcurrants May Lower Diabetes Risk

'Antioxidants in the fruit affect how the body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars'

• Researchers carried out study at the University of Aberdeen
• Believe that antioxidants in the fruit affect how body breaks down carbs
• 'Reduce amount of sugar that ends up in the bloodstream after eating'

Can eating blackcurrants cut the risk of diabetes in people who are overweight?

That's the thinking behind a new clinical trial that is to be carried out at the University of Aberdeen.

The researchers believe that antioxidants in the fruit affect how the body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars, reducing the amount of sugar that ends up in the bloodstream after you have eaten a meal.

If blood sugar levels peak too high, this can put pressure on the pancreas and prevent the normal release of insulin.

Sixteen people will be asked to consume 200g of blackcurrants, or a 'placebo' dose of green currants that do not contain the antioxidants, with and without a carbohydrate meal - and their blood sugar levels will then be compared.

Drastic solution for sugar cravings

As well as cutting how much food is absorbed by the body, weight-loss surgery reduces sugar cravings, say U.S. researchers.

They compared brain activity in mice while they were offered sugary food - some of the mice had had bypass surgery, a technique used in obese patients to reduce stomach size and reroute food to the intestine to prevent it being absorbed.

The normal mice ate the food even if they'd just had a meal; the surgery mice didn't touch it - scans showed that their brains didn't release the chemical dopamine when looking at food, which would normally drive rewarding behaviour and make them eat.

The researchers say this finding could help develop drugs that interfere with brain signalling in the same way to reduce sugar cravings in obese patients without surgery.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3416438/Blackcurrants-lower-diabetes-risk-Antioxidants-fruit-affect-body-breaks-carbohydrates-sugars.html#ixzz3ySW7AJfU