Two Homemade Meals a Day Can Lower Diabetes Risk by 13%
People who ate 2 homemade lunches or dinners each day lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 13% compared to people who ate less than 6 homemade lunches or dinners a week, according to a new study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015.
In the study, researchers analyzed up to 36 years of data (1986-2012) from 58,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and 41,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. None of the participants had diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at the beginning of the study.
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Note: Researchers did not have enough information to include breakfast patterns.
The data suggested that eating homemade meals was associated with less weight gain over 8 years. Excess weight gain is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
The researchers do not recommend a specific number of homemade meals people should eat per week, but “more could be better,” said Geng Zong, PhD, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA.
—Pooja Shah
References:
- Zong G, et al. Frequent consumption of meals prepared at home and risk of type 2 diabetes among American men and women. Abstract 17825 presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2015, November 8, 2015.
- American Heart Association. Eating more homemade meals may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes [press release]. November 8, 2015. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/eating-more-homemade-meals-may-reduce-risk-of-type-2-diabetes?preview=c07e. Accessed November 8, 2015.