If you have Type 2 diabetes – i.e. your blood glucose (sugar) is higher than it should be – consider replacing some of the carbohydrates in your diet with a handful or two of nuts.

According to a new study, eating about half a cup of nuts each day can help people with diabetes lower their blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

These new findings add to mounting evidence that nuts confer important health benefits. Numerous studies have linked nuts with protection from heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s disease. Despite nuts’ high fat content, studies – including this one – haven’t linked them with weight gain.

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A drug to treat diabetes, Actos, would be a “sensible alternative” to one which was banned last year, researchers have said.

Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, was suspended by authorities in Europe, but is still available in the United States and Canada.

The study published on the BMJ website said patients taking Actos had fewer heart problems.

Diabetes UK said Actos was a very effective treatment.

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Leafy vegetables could help cut the risk of Type 2 diabetes, research suggests.

Eating greens every day such as broccoli, kale, spinach, sprouts and cabbage can reduce your risk of developing the condition by 14 per cent.

The vegetables are rich in antioxidants and magnesium, which has been linked to lower levels of diabetes.

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As I write this, I am standing up. In fact, I’ve been answering emails, making phone calls and tapping away at a computer for an hour without sitting. I drank my morning coffee pacing the room.

I own a comfy office chair, but all this standing around – I’ve been doing it on and off for a week – should do me a power of good. Am I losing my marbles? Not according to the latest research. Sitting is seriously bad for you.

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Drinking more than three cups of tea a day cuts the risk of diabetes, say researchers.

Studies show that regular tea drinkers have a 25 per cent lower chance of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those drinking tea occasionally or not at all.

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Stevia has a no-calorie zip that’s popping up in natural health products, but the risks have left a bitter taste.

Forget sugar. And aspartame. And sucralose. Although it’s not yet authorized for use as an additive in food, a low-calorie, all-natural sweetener is making its way into Canadian products, with environmentally-themed marketing strategies that could change the way consumers view alternatives to sugar.

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A period of careful eating and regular exercise can stave off diabetes for a decade, a study suggests.

US researchers followed up nearly 3,000 overweight people who had taken part in a three year diabetes prevention programme.

The group had initially been divided into three – assigned either to a diet and exercise programme, the diabetes drug metformin or a placebo.

The Lancet report notes it was the dieters who reaped the most benefit.

All three groups were given access to ongoing lifestyle coaching once the initial three year trial had ended.

That trial, carried out by the US-based Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, had shown a diet aimed at achieving 7% weight loss, combined with half an hour of exercise five days a week, reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58% compared with the placebo group.

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The humble grapefruit could prove to be a mighty – if bitter tasting – weapon in the fight against diabetes, scientists say.

A study found naringenin, a flavonoid found in citrus fruit, makes the liver burn fat instead of storing it after a meal.

Researchers believe the chemical would also help obesity sufferers and even fight diabetes, because it also helped balance insulin and glucose levels.

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The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has jumped more than 60% in just 10 years.

In a 10-year period the number of new diabetes cases soared 63%

Newly-released figures found that an increase in obesity was fuelling the soaring rates of Type 2 diabetes.

The findings suggest the number of sufferers in the UK is increasing faster than in the US, where prevalence of the disease is one of the highest in the world.

In the six-year period between 1997 and 2003 the number of new cases soared 74%, and rose 63% across the entire decade.

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A study has found that those who did not enjoy the optimum level of seven to eight hours sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to develop a blood sugar abnormality linked to type 2 diabetes.

Researchers who studied the habits of 276 volunteers over a six-year period said they did not know the cause.

The findings, published in the journal Sleep Medicine, suggest seven to eight hours’ sleep a night seems to be the ideal amount for adults to protect against common diseases and premature death.

Scientists say they do not know the cause, but previous studies have shown a link between sleep patterns and obesity, cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.

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