Cashews may help those with diabetes

MONTREAL, July 15 (UPI) -- Cashew nut extract may improve the body's response to insulin, researchers in Canada and Cameroon suggest.

The researchers from the University of Montreal and the Universite de Yaounde in Cameroon analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products -- including leaves, barks and nuts, or seeds. They say cashew tree products have long been alleged to be effective anti-inflammatory agents, as well as having the ability to counter high-blood sugar and prevent insulant resistance in diabetics. The study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, finds only cashew nut extract significantly stimulated blood-sugar absorption by muscle cells.

"Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that cashew seed extract likely contains active compounds, which can have potential anti-diabetic properties," senior author Pierre Haddad of the University of Montreal said in a statement.

"Our study validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies."

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