Less sugar, more fiber. By slightly reducing sugar and increasing fiber, Hispanic teenagers might lessen risk factors linked to Type 2 diabetes. Of the 54 Los Angeles County teens (average age 15) who participated in a 16-week study, some took one nutrition class a week; some took one nutrition class and two strength-training classes per week; and others were in a control group receiving no health-related interventions. The goals of the nutrition classes were to get teens to decrease added sugar and increase fiber consumption. Reporting in April’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that 55 percent of all participants cut their sugar consumption by 47 grams per day — the equivalent of one can of soda — and 59 percent of all teens upped their fiber by an average of 5 grams a day — the amount in about half a can of beans, chickpeas or lentils. The decreased sugar accounted for an average 33 percent decrease in insulin secretion. More fiber led to, on average, 10 percent less visceral fat, which increases the risk of diabetes. Yes, that was all participants, even the control group. They might have been motivated by the study’s purpose to make changes too, said the authors, of the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Times
