Cranberries offer promise for diabetics

Dried cranberries with a reduced sugar and increased fibre content may benefit type-2 diabetics by delivering healthier blood sugar levels and improved function of the hormone insulin. Consumption of the dried cranberries led to better blood sugar control by decreasing peaks in glucose and lower insulin peaks, with a peak insulin of 15, compared to 22 for both bread and sweetened cranberries, while raw cranberries produced a peak of 10. Furthermore, blood sugar levels peaked at 158 minutes, compared to 175 minutes for both the bread and sweetened cranberries, and 127 minutes for raw cranberries.

The findings of the study, which involved a small sampling of diabetics, were reported earlier this year at the Experimental Biology conference by Ted Wilson from Winona State University. The meetings abstracts are published in the FASEB Journal Experimental Biology Meeting Abstract, 2009, Volume 23: 900.6.