Walnuts in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

There is an opinion that various fruits have a particularly beneficial effect on the organ they resemble. Our native nuts, historically called walnuts, clearly resemble brain convolutions. And it has indeed been proven that nuts improve intellectual activity, memory, and relieve headaches. In what context are walnuts mentioned for diabetes, let's try to figure it out together.

Can you eat walnuts if you have diabetes?

Eating walnuts for diabetes is an effective way to stabilize sugar levels. Other nuts are also useful in this regard, including exotic ones: cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, macadamia, chestnuts, peanuts. But walnuts are the best. Eating walnuts reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 47%. [ 1 ]

Prospective studies of 58,063 women aged 52–77 years between 1998 and 2008 and 79,893 women aged 35–52 years between 1999 and 2009 without diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer found that eating 1–3 servings per month of walnuts (1 serving = 28 g) significantly reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women. [ 2 ], [ 3 ]

Including 30 g of walnuts per day in a low-fat diet improves the lipid profile and HDL-cholesterol to total cholesterol ratio in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ 4 ], [ 5 ]

• Not only peeled kernels are useful for diabetics, but almost all components of nuts.

Traditional medicine recommends treating diabetes with teas, infusions and alcohol tinctures. [ 6 ] They are prepared from fresh or dried leaves, green peel, hard shells, thin internal partitions. Herbalists even recommend using shell ash for good purposes – medicinal and cosmetic.

It is useful for diabetics to mix different nuts together, add them to porridge, salads, and unsweetened desserts.

Indications

Metabolic disorders are often accompanied by obesity. The diet for this condition should take into account the correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

They are an excellent source of protein (about 25% of energy) and are often high in L-arginine. [ 7 ] Since this amino acid is a precursor to the endogenous vasodilator, nitric oxide (NO), [ 8 ] consuming nuts may help improve vascular reactivity.

Indications for the use of various nuts arise due to the usefulness of these products, but with the condition of not overdoing it and not harming the body. That is, walnuts for diabetes are allowed in limited quantities: 50-70 g per day. More is not always better, and in this case - unnecessary.

• Nuts are recommended for vitaminization of the body, especially in autumn and spring, for the prevention of anemia, improvement of potency, stimulation of efficiency and mental activity.

They have a positive effect on the state of intestinal microflora, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, [ 9 ] stabilize sugar, improve vision, relieve insomnia. Provide prevention of coronary heart disease, heart attacks, [ 10 ] atherosclerosis, strokes. Polyphenol antioxidants, binding to lipoproteins, can inhibit oxidative processes that lead to atherosclerosis in vivo. [ 11 ]

Walnuts have been shown to reduce oxidative and inflammatory stress on brain cells, improve interneuronal signaling, increase neurogenesis, and enhance the sequestration of insoluble toxic protein aggregates [ 12 ] and may exert hypophagic and nootropic effects by enhancing 5-HT metabolism in the brain. [ 13 ]

The product diversifies the diet, motivates to prepare new dishes and follow a balanced diet, without the risk of gaining extra pounds.

The norm for adults is up to 7 pieces, for children - up to 4. Nuts are very useful for pregnant and nursing mothers, whose milk becomes tastier and richer in useful components.

• True, there are also limitations: the presence of psoriasis, allergies, neurodermatitis, individual intolerance to the components.

Tinctures, oils, and decoctions of various parts of walnut trees are used for many health problems: from local application to the skin to douching of female organs.

Walnuts for Type 2 Diabetes

The use of walnuts in type 2 diabetes is due to their unique composition. They contain more proteins and microelements, and slightly less fat than other fruits. They contain iodine, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, plant antibiotics with anti-cancer action, alkaloids, essential oils, fiber, vitamins (for example, folic acid, niacin, tocopherols and vitamin B6), minerals (for example, calcium, magnesium, potassium) [ 14 ] and many other biologically active components, such as phytosterols [ 15 ] and phenolic compounds. [ 16 ] Fats in nuts are unsaturated compounds that are beneficial for the body.

• Walnuts for diabetes are able to increase sugar gradually rather than sharply, which makes them an appropriate snack or addition to the main meal. The best time is lunch or dinner.

Eating just 3-4 kernels for 2 months reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, lowers blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body weight, stabilizes glucose levels, and regulates carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.

• Nuts stimulate tone and performance, brain function, prevent hypovitaminosis and anemia, normalize the gastrointestinal microflora, and act as an aphrodisiac.

It is good if nuts grow in your own garden. This guarantees their quality, in particular, ecological. If you have to buy them, it is safer to take whole fruits, and not peeled kernels. Nuts are not only "cracked" in their pure form, but also put in salads, cottage cheese, baked apples, low-fat desserts. They are combined with almost all types of products, including chicken, vegetables, greens.

If you are overweight, you should count calories and not consume other fats along with nuts – neither vegetable nor animal.

Benefits

Various types of nuts are very beneficial for diabetics. They are rich in healthy fatty acids, proteins, minerals, essential amino acids, and biologically active components.

Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFA (47% of the total mass), such as linoleic acid (38%) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) (9%), omega-3 fatty acids. [ 17 ]

In addition to essential fatty acids, walnuts contain many other bioactive compounds such as vitamin E and polyphenols. Walnuts are one of the most important sources of polyphenols, so their effects on human health deserve attention. The main polyphenol in walnuts is pedunculagin, an ellagitannin. After consumption, ellagitannins are hydrolyzed to release ellagic acid, which is converted by intestinal microflora into urolithin A and other derivatives such as urolithins B, C and D. Ellagitannins have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biological activities. Several studies have assessed the potential role of ellagitannins in preventing the development and progression of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. [ 18 ]

Walnuts for diabetes have a positive effect on glucose levels, which is a key indicator of a diabetic's health. The beneficial properties are as follows:

1. The low glycemic index makes the fruits suitable for both types of diabetes.
2. Fiber activates digestion. Through various mechanisms, dietary fiber slows gastric emptying and intestinal transit, reduces the rate of intestinal absorption of carbohydrates, and increases fecal excretion of bile acids. Consuming certain types of soluble fiber can improve feelings of satiety, lower blood cholesterol levels, and reduce postprandial glucose response. [ 19 ]
3. Vegetable fats reduce cholesterol levels and blood pressure, cleanse blood vessels, and prevent strokes and heart attacks.
4. Magnesium protects the nervous system from tension and stress.
5. Iron increases hemoglobin.

It is better to eat kernels fresh, although roasted ones taste better. The fact is that heat treatment leads to oxidation and loss of valuable components.

The downside of nuts is that they are high in calories, but a small portion does not have a significant effect on body weight. To avoid overdose, the patient should control the amount of nuts consumed.

Walnut leaf for diabetes

Ten compounds have been identified and quantified in walnut leaves: 3- and 5-caffeoylquinic acids, 3- and 4-p-coumaroylquinic acids, p-coumaric acid, quercetin-3-galactoside, quercetin-3-pentoside derivative, quercetin 3-arabinoside, quercetin 3-xyloside and quercetin 3-rhamnoside. They exhibit antimicrobial activity against gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and fungi (Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans), and also have high antioxidant activity. [ 20 ]

The results of a 2012 study show that the chloroform fraction of various walnut leaf extracts may contain effective compounds that can be used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer.[ 21 ]

Some studies have shown that walnut leaves have the ability to enhance fertility and have beneficial effects on spermatogenesis and sperm parameters.[ 22 ]

Hypertension, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, arthrosis – folk medicine treats all these difficult pathologies with walnut leaves. It has been proven that walnut leaves have a hypoglycemic effect and are able to regenerate islet or beta cells of the pancreas. [ 23 ], [ 24 ]

• Treatment with walnut leaves for diabetes requires prior approval from a doctor.

Walnut leaves are used in dried or fresh form for diabetes. They are steamed and left for several hours. A portion of 2 glasses is divided into three doses. The course of treatment with such a drink is 1 month.

Tea or decoction prepared according to this recipe helps women get rid of menstrual pain. A slightly stronger infusion is taken for irregularities in the menstrual cycle, it also has a mild diuretic effect.

• The scope of application of walnut leaves is not limited to diabetes.

The effectiveness of nut baths for eliminating skin rashes is known: eczema, lichen, acne, urticaria, cutaneous tuberculosis. Leaves are also used for pulmonary tuberculosis. Gynecological problems, inflammatory processes, cancer prevention, restoration of the strength of an exhausted body - all this is within the power of magical leaves with a sharp aroma, which has long been known to folk healers.

Walnut remedies are used both internally and externally: for rinsing, douching, drinking, baths. Fresh juice is used as drops for inflammatory processes of the middle ear.

• The leaves collected in late spring or early June contain the maximum medicinal properties.

This is very young, still growing greenery. You need to pick 3-5 outer leaves, then tear off all the petioles. Dry in the sun, in a thin layer, periodically turning each leaf. The raw material should not turn black, otherwise it loses its medicinal properties.

According to other sources, walnut leaves, like other herbs, should be dried in the air, but under a canopy, in the shade. And ideally, it is better to use fresh, not dried raw materials.

Partitions, walnut shells in diabetes

Walnut partitions and shells are also used for therapeutic purposes in diabetes. They have a sugar-lowering property and also prevent diabetic complications. Informed people do not throw away the shells, but prepare diabetic drinks from the "garbage" of walnuts in diabetes - decoctions, infusions, tinctures.

• We offer recipes:

For the decoction, 40 partitions are required; they are kept in a water bath for 1 hour, poured with boiling water. The filtered drink is drunk on an empty stomach (1 teaspoon, twice a day).

Another remedy is prepared in the proportion of 50g of raw material per bottle of vodka. Keep for 2 weeks without access to light. The potion is taken 3 times a day, 3 ml, diluted with water.

Decoctions are used for douching in case of cervical erosions, vodka infusions are used as an expectorant, in the treatment of cysts, mastopathy, hypertension, and the thyroid gland. Even shell ash is used: it is used to treat ulcers and cleanse the digestive tract of radiation.

The same ash was once used by women to remove unwanted hair. And they did not know what allergies, irritations, rashes, which are often provoked by modern cosmetics, were. And finely ground shells were used as a scrub. The cream was prepared according to the recipe: for 2 tablespoons of shells - the same amount of grated radish, half a cup of thick sour cream, 3 tablespoons of chamomile tea. Cool the mixture for 5 minutes, apply for 10 minutes and rinse with water.

Green walnuts for diabetes

Everyone knows how healthy ripe nuts are, but not everyone knows that green walnuts are even more effective for diabetes. We are talking about the stage when they are easy to pierce with a needle or cut with a knife. The green shell is still juicy, and the kernel looks like a gelatinous mass. Such fruits are usually collected at the beginning of summer.

Green husk of walnut fruit contains essential oils, glucose and organic substances such as citric acid, malic acid, phosphate and calcium oxalate. Juglone and phenolic compounds are the most important compounds found in the leaves and green husk of walnut. [ 25 ], [ 26 ], Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a naphthoquinone compound found in the leaves and green husk of walnut fruit.

Juglone, as a toxic compound, is found only in fresh and green walnuts.

• Young fruits contain a maximum of ascorbic acid, many microelements, carotenoids, quinines, phytoncides, and easily digestible proteins.

They are used to make medicinal and vitamin tinctures, jams and even alcoholic drinks like liqueur. The properties of walnuts in type 2 diabetes are revealed when tinctures are taken in alcohol or vodka. Sweet extracts are also prepared - in sugar, in honey.

Healing elixirs are prepared from the shell, pulp and leaves. The washed raw material is cut, placed in a glass container (three-quarters of the volume) and filled with alcohol. The closed container is kept in a cool place for 24 days.

• Treatment agreed with the doctor is carried out in a course of 3-6 months. Dose - 1 tablespoon three times a day, 20 minutes before meals.

Green walnut also has contraindications, because it contains allergens and can even cause anaphylactic shock. Such tinctures are not recommended for people with ulcers, psoriasis, vascular problems. Pregnant and lactating women should also refrain from using the potion.

Walnut tincture for diabetes

Unripe nuts are infused with honey, alcohol or water. Depending on this, a remedy made from walnuts is used for diabetes, tuberculosis, worms, hypertension, infertility, depression, exhaustion, cancer or other diseases. External use is recommended for radiculitis, osteochondrosis, sore joints, heel spurs. Even jam made from green walnuts has healing properties: it serves to support the thyroid gland, has a positive effect on inflamed kidneys and is recommended for women who are diagnosed with fibroids.

Walnut tincture for diabetes, as well as for thyroid pathologies, is taken for at least a month. Dosage: 30-40 drops 4 times a day, 20 minutes before meals. It is prepared with vodka in the following way:

• Grind 100g of nuts with skins and place in a bottle;
• fill with alcohol and seal;
• keep for a month in a cool, dark place;
• strain and drink according to dosage;
• after a month – a week break.

The suitability of green raw materials for tinctures is determined using a knife. During the milky ripeness period, the nut is easily cut with a knife, the soft skin does not create an obstacle, since it has not yet become woody.

The finished medicine can be stored for a long time. To prevent it from oxidizing, the container should be filled to the top. If you notice the product darkening, this indicates a loss of its healing power.

Walnut shells for diabetes

It would seem, what significance does a walnut shell have for diabetes, or indeed for any other disease? Its place is in the trash can – and nowhere else, our contemporaries believe.

• However, it was not always like this. Our smart ancestors, not spoiled by pharmacists, did not throw things in the trash before maximizing their nutritional and medicinal potential.

It was the observant people who discovered the many benefits of walnuts for diabetes. Thanks to ancient recipes, everyone can take advantage of this wisdom.

For a tincture useful for diabetics, you need to take the shells of only five fruits for a full bottle of vodka. Alcohol is not suitable because it easily evaporates if the seal is not tight, and it is not recommended to drink it undiluted. The shells are pre-washed with lukewarm water and crushed into small pieces to push through the neck of the bottle.

• The preserved partitions improve the quality of the tincture.

After a week in a dark, dry place, the drink is ready. To avoid harm to the mucous membrane, the medicine is dosed precisely: 15 drops per dose, diluted with a spoon of water. Drink twice a day, half an hour before meals.

A decoction of shells, bean pods and white mulberry leaves also improves the condition of a diabetic. Wooden shells are boiled for half an hour, then the remaining ingredients are added for another 10 minutes. The cooled liquid is filtered, poured and stored in a cold place, preferably in dark bottles. (The product does not tolerate light and noise.) Drink a glass daily at night.

Walnut oil for diabetes

To prepare walnut oil, successfully used by healers for diabetes, take regular vegetable oil and unripe fruits. Grind 100 g of raw nuts for half a liter of oil. Transfer the ingredients to a container in a warm, dark place for a month. Filter the finished product and use it according to the recommendations - internally or externally. It preserves the beneficial properties of the nuts themselves, and can be used locally, that is, in cases where whole fruits are not used.

• Walnut oil is used to lubricate dilated veins, skin for various diseases, frostbite, and hair loss.

It has a laxative and antihelminthic effect, is effective in pathologies of the nervous system and kidneys. Diabetic nephropathy and diabetic angiopathy are indications for the use of this remedy. The usual dose is a tablespoon 30 minutes before meals.

• Walnut oil for diabetes lowers glucose without the use of medications, improves blood circulation in the smallest vessels.

The oil remedy restores the body that has undergone injuries or operations, rejuvenates cells, activates the hematopoietic process. It not only lowers existing cholesterol, but also removes the likelihood of its increase in the future.

What can and what can not?

The diabetic menu is designed to regulate sugar levels and promote the healing process. With a properly developed diet, there is no need for additional vitamin and mineral supplements. The task of walnuts for diabetes is to balance and diversify the diet. Regardless of the calorie content, they must be included in the diet, because the nutritional benefits of the product significantly prevail, and the fatty acids in them are useful, and not those that are deposited in fat depots and increase body weight.

• Nuts have a wonderful effect on brain activity, reduce cholesterol levels, and most importantly, blood sugar levels. Regular consumption of nuts helps prevent diabetes, and it is important for people with a genetic predisposition to this pathology to know about it.

What else can you eat besides nuts to avoid glucose spikes and the associated troubles? Products with a low and medium glycemic index are preferable for the patient. This is a key term in diabetic dietetics.

Let's name a few products that are not very popular yet, but including them in your diet will do you good: it will balance and diversify.

• Fresh berries are a great alternative to forbidden sweets.
• Olive oil – reduces the risk of heart and vascular pathologies.
• Cinnamon – lowers sugar.
• Cabbage – provides vitamins and stabilizes glucose.
• Plantain - pharmaceutical granules regulate sugar.
• Quinoa, or Peruvian rice, is rich in fiber and protein.
• Sweet potato is one of the most beneficial vegetables for diabetes.
• Beans – maintains low sugar levels.

The basic principles of nutrition for diabetes are based on achieving a decrease in glycemia. The diet answers two questions: what should and should not be eaten? It is known that it is necessary to eat often, at the same time, healthy and fresh dietary food, with gentle cooking.

• But you can’t eat what many consider tasty, but nutritionists consider harmful, and not only if you have diabetes.

First of all, these are finished industrial products that lie on supermarket shelves for months without losing their marketable appearance or apparent freshness – smoked, dried, salted, marinated products, semi-finished products, canned goods.

When preparing home-cooked food, one should avoid frying, breading, smoking, marinating, fatty sauces and meat, white bread and pastries. A responsible diabetic should not have sugar or any food containing sweet components, alcohol, fatty dairy products, honey, or cigarettes on his or her table. Salt is limited to 2 g per day, and black coffee is allowed one serving per day, preferably with milk.

• Prohibitions and restrictions are not a sentence. Despite them, the menu can be made so that the diabetic's diet is healthy, varied and tasty.

Almonds and walnuts are very appropriate products for diabetes. The most useful ones also include green apples, citrus fruits, kiwi, pears, seaweed, berries, and jelly based on them. When consumed in moderation, the need for medications is reduced.

Contraindications

The use of any walnut-based remedy for diabetes should be agreed with an endocrinologist or herbalist.

The standard contraindication is individual intolerance to the components or at least one of them. Diabetics with increased weight can eat no more than one serving of nuts per day (30 g).

• Contraindications apply to people with skin diseases. Although some of them are treated with nut oil.

You cannot take nut products for thrombophlebitis, increased blood clotting. Alcohol products are not given to small patients, people with gastritis.

Possible risks

When including nuts in the diet of a diabetic, the risks associated with the diet arise in case of overdose. Side effects are also possible - with improper use of walnuts in diabetes, the presence of contraindications in the patient.

• Official medicine does not see the positive effect of the product on the body of people with type 1 diabetes. But it looks at type 2 diabetes differently.

Since nuts and folk recipes based on them have a beneficial effect on metabolism, their use is advisable, but only after the mandatory approval of the attending physician.

If you don't follow the diet, you have to take more drugs that stimulate insulin production. Complications may develop, including degenerative processes.

Complications

Among the possible complications, those that arise as a result of overeating the kernels are dangerous. Thus, the strong vasodilatory effect of the components included in the walnuts provokes headaches. Overdose (over 100 g) has a negative effect on the throat: it can cause sore throat or swelling.

Walnuts for diabetes in the form of external preparations (tinctures, decoctions, extracts, scrubs) are not recommended for people suffering from psoriasis or neurodermatitis, allergies, hypersensitivity. They experience an exacerbation of the typical symptoms of these diseases.

Detailed menu for every day

When a nutritionist writes out a detailed menu for each day, it necessarily includes plant products in sufficient quantities - raw or properly processed. "Properly" means: not fried, not smoked, not salted, not marinated. Meals for diabetics are boiled, stewed, steamed, baked. Salads, soups, stewed ragouts, pates, caviar are prepared from vegetables.

• An important point is the regularity of nutrition. The regime is made so that food enters the body at least 5-6 times a day. Such frequency stimulates the functioning of the pancreas and timely generation of insulin.

Walnuts are not necessary for diabetes, but they are desirable. They can be replaced with other nuts, or even better - combine the fruits in different combinations. In sample menus, they are usually listed under lunch or afternoon snack. By the way, a nut snack is useful not only for diabetics, but also for any adherent of healthy eating.

• The menu for the day with 5 meals a day is made up approximately like this.

1. Boiled egg with seaweed and carrot salad with unrefined butter, green tea.
2. Fruit (apple) or a handful of nuts.
3. Chicken breast soup, chicken breast and vegetable stew, fruit drink or compote.
4. Berry mousse, jelly.
5. Cottage cheese casserole, tea.

Lunch and afternoon tea can easily be swapped. Another snack can be arranged before dinner.

Recipes

Diet is an integral part of diabetes therapy. You need to eat often, up to six times, with breaks of no longer than 3 hours. The day should be organized so that you eat at the same hours, and if you feel hungry between them, you should not ignore it: you should immediately eat at least something.

• A good snack is walnuts for diabetes. The snack can be at any time of the day, including in the evening, so as not to suffer from insomnia caused by hunger.

Nutritionists claim that people who follow a healthy diet suffer less from concomitant pathologies and live much longer. Recipes for diabetics include healthy ingredients in the right proportions. Conventionally, they are divided as follows: half of the dish is vegetables, a quarter is fish or meat, and the rest is starchy foods. In this arrangement, food is well absorbed without increasing blood sugar levels.

The food is prepared from healthy products: chicken and turkey meat, cereals, vegetables, olive oil, mushrooms, low-fat cottage cheese, eggs. For normal weight, a full diet is offered within 2500-2900 kcal, for increased weight - energy-reduced: 1200, 1400, 1600 kcal. Caloric content is regulated by the volume of portions.

Sugar-containing products are excluded from the diet: canned goods, tomato paste, semi-finished products, sweet carbonated drinks and juices, honey, confectionery products, including diabetic ones. Instead of sugar, substitutes are used, preferably natural ones, for example, stevia.

Reviews

Most of the reviews concern the use of various nut preparations prepared at home. Women are especially keen: nut tinctures and decoctions are traditionally used to treat everything from fibroids to depression during menopause.

There are especially many positive comments about the alcohol preparation based on partitions. Users are still silent about walnuts for diabetes.

Results

The use of walnuts in diabetes and preparations based on them contributes to the positive dynamics of the process. The release of glucose from food slows down, its level decreases and its elimination from the body is observed. Alkaloids normalize the functioning of the pancreas, prevent the absorption of sugar in the intestinal section of the gastrointestinal tract.

Positive results are observed after just three months: with regular consumption of nuts, insulin levels improve, which confirms the improvement in the patient’s condition.

In some nations, walnuts are considered a symbol of wealth, and the leaves of the tree are endowed with seductive properties. This indirectly confirms its enormous benefits, because it is unlikely that such high qualities would be called a useless plant. The benefits of walnuts for diabetes are invaluable, especially in the early stages of type 2 diabetes. However, no one has managed to defeat this serious disease solely by folk remedies, but only in combination with qualified medical care. With this approach, diabetes recedes, and the patient continues to live a full life.