UK RESEARCHERS SAY ‘SUPER PEA’ ADDED TO FOOD CUTS DIABETES RISK

A type of wrinkled ‘super pea’ may help control blood sugar levels and could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, suggests a new study.

The research, from scientists at Imperial College London, the John Innes Center in Norwich and the Quadram Institute Bioscience and University of Glasgow, suggests incorporating the peas into foods, in the form of whole pea seeds or flour, may help tackle the global type 2 diabetes epidemic.

The work, published in Nature Food and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), focused on a naturally occurring type of pea. Unlike regular (smooth) peas, they contain higher amounts of “resistant starch,” which takes longer for the body to break down.

The study reveals that compared to eating smooth peas, wrinkled peas prevented “sugar spikes,” where blood sugar levels rise sharply after a meal. The same effect was seen when consuming flour made from wrinkled peas incorporated in a mixed meal.

According to the researchers, this could be important as frequent, large sugar spikes are thought to increase the risk of diabetes. They add that flour from their “super peas” could potentially be used in commonly consumed processed foods which, if eaten over the long term, could prevent these sugar spikes.

Dr. Katerina Petropoulou, first author of the research from the Center for Translational and Nutrition Food Research at Imperial College London, said: “Despite national campaigns to promote healthy eating, type 2 diabetes diagnosis rates continue to rise.

An alternative dietary strategy to maintain normal blood glucose rates among the population is to improve the composition of commonly consumed foods. There is much evidence that diets rich in a type of carbohydrate called resistant starch have a positive impact on controlling blood glucose levels, and hence reduce susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.”

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