July/August 2004

HEALTH BYTES

Buckwheat helps control diabetes

      Extracts of buckwheat seed have been shown to lower blood glucose levels by up to 19 percent, and may help manage diabetes. Canadian researchers recommend that diabetics include the grain in their diets, or take dietary supplements containing buckwheat seed. Researchers think a compound called chiro-inositol—which buckwheat contains in relatively high amounts, and which is rare in other foods—helps regulate glucose metabolism. Early evidence suggests that chiro-inositol makes cells more sensitive to insulin, or may mimic insulin.

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