Consumption of ancient grain consumption may improve health outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes: Study

A systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials was conducted to collate evidence from studies implementing ancient grains and investigate the impact of ancient grain consumption on health outcomes of patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials were included, and 13 were meta-analyzed. Interventions ranged from 1 day to 24 weeks; most samples were affected by DM type 2 (n = 28 studies) and the ancient grains used were oats (n = 10 studies), brown rice (n = 6 studies), buckwheat (n = 4 studies), chia (n = 3 studies), Job's Tears (n = 2 studies), and barley, Khorasan and millet (n = 1 study). Thirteen studies that used oats, brown rice, and chia provided data for a quantitative synthesis.

Four studies using oats showed a small to moderate beneficial effect on health outcomes including LDL-c (n = 717, MD: 0.30 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.42 to −0.17, Z = 4.61, p < 0.05, I2 = 0%), and TC (n = 717, MD: 0.44 mmol/l, 95% CI: 0.63 to −0.24, Z = 4.40, p < 0.05, I2 = 0%). Pooled analyses of studies using chia and millet did not show significant effects on selected outcomes. For adults affected by DM type 2, the use of oats may improve lipidic profile. Further experimental designs are needed in interventional research to better understand the effects of ancient grains on diabetes health outcomes.

Reference:

Camilla Elena Magi, Laura Rasero, Edoardo Mannucci, Guglielmo Bonaccorsi, Francesco Ranaldi, Luigia Pazzagli, Paola Faraoni, Nadia Mulinacci, Stefano Bambi, Yari Longobucco, Ilaria Dicembrini, Paolo Iovino. Use of ancient grains for the management of diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 34, Issue 5, 2024, Pages 1110-1128, ISSN 0939-4753, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.005. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475324000929)