I am very pleased to report that a recently published study at the University of Toronto confirmed what we’ve been saying all along: nuts (2 ounces in this case) improved blood sugars better than whole grain snacks, and did not increase weight either.

The study, conducted by Dr. David Jenkins at St. Michael’s Hospital, U. of T.’s teaching hospital, evaluated the effect of two food items in Type 2 diabetics.  The first group ate muffins, which were made with “whole wheat flour, applesauce, and vegetable oil.”  Not sure what kind — all vegetable oils are not created equal, as you probably know.  The second group ate a mix of raw almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts (technically a bean, not a nut), cashews, and macadamias. The third group ate a mix of both.

The patients who ate only nuts showed the most improvement in blood sugars, and lowered their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and kept their weights steady.  Patients who ate [muffins] or [muffins + nuts] showed no significant improvement in blood sugars, although those who ate [muffins + nuts] did lower their LDL.  So nuts had a favorable effect on LDL cholesterol, whether or not they were eaten with muffins.

Dr. Jenkins concluded that “…nuts appear to be well suited as part of weight-reducing diets.  Mixed, unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted nuts have benefits for both blood glucose control and blood lipids and may be used as part of a strategy to improve diabetes control without weight gain.”

I have one observation to add:  If eating nuts improves your blood sugar control and cholesterol without increasing your weight, why wait until you’re diabetic to eat them?