Buckwheat Good for Diabetics

Buckwheat may help people with diabetes better manage their condition.

That's the conclusion of a Canadian study in the Dec. 3 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

University of Manitoba researchers found that extracts of buckwheat seed fed to diabetic rats lowered their blood glucose levels by 12 percent to 19 percent.

"With diabetes on the rise, incorporation of buckwheat into the diet could help provide a safe, easy and inexpensive way to lower glucose levels and reduce the risk of complications associated with the disease, including heart, nerve and kidney problems," study leader Carla G. Taylor, an associate professor in the department of human nutritional sciences, says in a prepared statement.

"Buckwheat won't cure diabetes, but we'd like to evaluate its inclusion in food products as a management aid," Taylor says.

But she says that until studies are done on humans with diabetes, it's not clear how much buckwheat flour or extract a person would have to consume to gain a beneficial effect on glucose levels.

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