Compound in Meat May Be Preventative.

A common type of fat found in red meats and cheeses may prevent diabetes, according to a research team from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and Pennsylvania State University, University Park. This information could lead to new drugs to help fight diabetes or to improved dietary strategies to manage the disease.

The study found that conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid known to scientists as CLA, can prevent the onset of diabetes in laboratory animals, at least in the short term. The researchers say CLA appears to work as well as a new class of diabetes-fighting drugs, the thiazolidinediones (TZDs).

Martha Belury, Purdue assistant professor of foods and nutrition, explains that, "If you inherit a genetic predisposition to adult-onset diabetes and you're obese and inactive, then you may well develop this disease. Our study suggests that CLA may help normalize or reduce blood glucose levels and prevent diabetes."

Adult-onset diabetes is the most common form of the disease. Also known as Type II or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, it affects about 15,000,000 Americans, half of whom do not know that they have the disease because the initial symptoms can be so mild. Symptoms may include hard-to-heal infections, blurred vision, tingling in the hands or feet, or dry, itchy skin. If left untreated, Type II diabetes can result in kidney problems, amputation of limbs, blindness, coronary heart disease, or strokes.

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