Diabetics benefit from eating strawberries, study says

Daily consumption of about one cup of strawberries can reportedly help regulate the blood sugar of people with Type 2 diabetes.

These are the findings of a study presented at the International Strawberry Symposium, which will run until Wednesday at the Quebec City Convention Centre.

The clinical study, led by Yves Desjardins, professor of horticulture at Université Laval, was conducted on 50 people who were mildly obese and suffered from early Type 2 diabetes.

“When they consumed about 250 grams of strawberries a day, we could reduce a very very important glucose intolerance and improve insulin sensitivity,” said Desjardins, who also serves as co-president of the symposium.

The research demonstrated that the ingestion of a serving of strawberries has a similar effect on patients as metformin, a drug commonly used to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes

“Our results are almost equivalent to a pharmaceutical treatment,” said Desjardins. “Just by eating strawberries and other berries, you can almost regulate blood sugar.”

The health benefits of strawberries are mainly due to their polyphenols, compounds that reduce the incidence of certain metabolic diseases.

During the five-day meeting, several other scientific advances will be presented to about 600 researchers and producers from 30 countries.

Studies being presented to the public will focus on the consumption of strawberries for preventing cognitive decline, combatting skin cancer and reducing obesity.

The large international conference meets every four years. This year’s edition, the eighth, is taking place in Canada for the first time.

“This is the Strawberry Olympics,” Desjardins said.

Researchers will also present new varieties of strawberries becoming available on shelves in coming years, as well as more efficient production methods.