Follow the example of Nordic people and naturally lower your blood sugar and cholesterol levels by eating! Research says the key is "unsaturated fatty acids"
The “Nordic Diet” not only helps with weight loss but also lowers blood sugar and cholesterol?
Daily diet affects changes in cholesterol and blood sugar, and is also closely related to diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Danish research points out that the “Nordic Diet” (HND), which is considered healthy and can help with weight loss, not only helps with weight management, but also reduces blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The key reason is that the diet contains more polyunsaturated fatty acids.
A research team from the University of Copenhagen recruited 200 subjects over the age of 50, all of whom were at high risk for high BMI, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The research team conducted a randomized controlled trial on 200 people and divided them into a habitual diet group and a Nordic diet group. They then collected their blood and urine samples to detect blood sugar, serum lipoproteins, triglycerides, and inflammatory biomarkers (cytokines, C-reactive protein, etc.).
After 6 months of monitoring, it was found that the subjects in the Nordic diet group had reduced cholesterol levels, lower total fat in the blood, and more stable blood sugar control. Even though the weight did not change, there were significant improvements in various health conditions, including lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides. The study was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.
Trial group lost weight but became healthier, study says unsaturated fatty acids are key
Lars Ove Dragsted, a researcher at the Department of Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Copenhagen, said that in the past, most people believed that weight loss could have a positive impact on blood sugar and cholesterol. However, in this trial, it was found that simply adjusting dietary patterns can also have an effect on blood sugar and cholesterol. This is not unrelated to the fact that the “Nordic diet” contains more unsaturated fatty acids.
Dragsted claimed that there was no change or difference in the weight of the two groups in the trial, saying that the most likely reason for the obvious health benefits of the Nordic diet is changes in dietary lipids. He believes that the lack of highly processed foods and lower amounts of animal fat are the reasons why subjects in the Nordic diet group had significant improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol.
Dragsted said that the fat component of the Nordic diet contains more Omega3 and Omega6 unsaturated fatty acids, which may be why the Nordic diet was considered to be helpful in preventing obesity, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol.
Plant-based diet with fish, follow the healthy diet of Nordic people
The main components of the Nordic diet are whole grains, berries, rapeseed oil, fish and low-fat dairy products. Traditional Nordic foods also include cabbage, apples, root vegetables, oats, rye, fermented milk, etc. Due to the geographical environment, fish is its main source of meat, and beans are paired with it to increase protein intake.
It can be found that the contents of the “Nordic diet” and the “Mediterranean diet” are quite similar. They are both based on plant-based diets. The main difference between the two is the source of fat. The main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, while the Nordic diet has more. From rapeseed oil. Rapeseed oil is derived from the rapeseed plant, which belongs to the Brassicaceae family. The current recommended definition of the Nordic diet also includes using low-fat dairy products as the first choice, limiting salt intake (no more than 5-6 grams per day), and increasing sources of healthy fats.
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