It’s a trendy food—and it can also be good for you. Quinoa can reverse the progress of type 2 diabetes, which itself can be a precursor of heart problems.
Swapping the standard diet of complex carbohydrates for quinoa can reduce glucose (blood sugar) levels—and it’s a dietary switch that could be vital for anyone who is pre-diabetic.
Researchers from the University of Catalonia in Barcelona measured the effects of quinoa on a group of nine people who were pre-diabetic. They all stayed on their standard diet of complex carbohydrates, found in grains and vegetables, for four weeks before they replaced the carbs for quinoa, a complex protein and ‘pseudo’ cereal.
By the end of the four-week quinoa diet, the participants had lost weight, saw their BMI (body-weight index) fall and they had narrower waists. They also saw a drop in biological markers—lower carbohydrates, increased lipids and amino acids, and lower glycaemic index totals, which measure the amount of glucose in the blood—that indicated their risk of developing type 2 diabetes had also reduced.
Nutrients, 2022; 14, 2331; doi: 10.3390/nu14112331
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