Treating diabetes one meal at a time.

• Position: Nutrition

Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050. Two professors from the School of Nutrition & Health Promotion at Arizona State University, Phoenix, have studied how changing one's diet can help manage the effects of the disease.

Assistant professor Karen Sweazea published a study that shows the health benefits of consuming almonds in Type 2 diabetics. Over a 12-week period, participants with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes added 1.5 ounces of almonds to their daily diet, and experienced a 30% reduction in C-reactive protein levels, a marker of inflammation.

Carol Johnston, director of the nutrition program and coauthor of the study, says that reducing inflammation in diabetics is important because it is linked to risk for heart disease. "Of all the tree nuts, almonds have one of the most diverse nutrient profiles, including fibers, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and arginine. We know that all the nutrients in almonds have health benefits."

Sweazea stresses that arginine helps encourage blood vessels to dilate more so that blood pressure decreases. Most diabetics develop high blood pressure, which can worsen complications of diabetes, such as kidney disease and heart disease.

Johnston and...