FDA Approves Questionable Diabetes Claim

You’ve likely heard the saying that food is the best medicine.

I’ve found this true for maintaining well-being and healing (or improving) various diseases and conditions.

The FDA is finally starting to come around to this mindset, so they’ve allowed food manufacturers to place a health claim on a particular popular food, stating it reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.

It’s what’s called a “qualified health claim.” That means that there’s sufficient scientific evidence to support the diabetes statement.

Can you guess what this blood-sugar-busting food is?

I bet yogurt wasn’t the first thing to come to mind. However, there’s plenty of research to support its metabolic benefits.

For example, one study found that for every daily serving of yogurt eaten, there’s an associated 17 percent drop in type 2 diabetes risk.

Interestingly, the same study showed that total dairy consumption didn’t impact risk, indicating that yogurt carries the benefit.

Following is the type of claim you could soon see on your favorite yogurt container: “Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The FDA has concluded that there is limited information supporting this claim.”

Now, you’d think I’d be HAPPY about this. After all, eating yogurt is better than taking a prescription drug, right?

Well… maybe.

The FDA appears to believe that all yogurt is created equal.

That’s simply not true.

For example, one popular Coconut-Cream Pie-Flavored Greek yogurt has 32 grams of sugar in one small 7-ounce container—that’s like guzzling down eight teaspoons of sugar!

Last I checked, that’s NOT the way to avoid type 2 diabetes.

That’s an extreme example, but most yogurts lining the store shelves aren’t much better.

Stick with Greek yogurt—it’s higher in protein, lower in sugar, and typically contains live probiotics—just make sure it’s the plain, unsweetened kind before loading up your grocery cart.

If you need some sweetness, stir in a handful of organic berries or a dash of local honey. You’ll be hitting the sweet spot while still reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes… (and not the other way around).

P.S. For the TRUTH about full-fat dairy and diabetes, CLICK HERE.

SOURCE:

Chen, M., Sun, Q., Giovannucci, E. et al. Dairy consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: 3 cohorts of US adults and an updated meta-analysis. BMC Med 12, 215 (2014). doi .org / 10.1186 /s12916-014-0215-1