A tepary bean diet and exercise delays indices of type 2 diabetes in female fa/fa rats

Abstract

Legumes have been shown to protect against the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Previous work has focused on theimpact of legumes on the glycemic index with little attention given to other physiological changes. Considerable evidencealso demonstrates that exercise is beneficial for diabetic individuals. This study sought to determine the individual andsynergistic effects of a legume diet and exercise on indices of T2D and tested the hypothesis that the synergy of these factorswould protect against typical changes in glycemic hormones and lipids across the weight gain and insulin resistant stage ofdevelopment in genetically obese rats. Fatty Zucker (fa/fa) rats, 6-7 wks of age were assigned to one of four treatment groups(n = 10/group); 1) tepary bean diet and exercise [TE], 2) tepary bean diet [T], 3) control diet and exercise [CE], 4) controldiet [C]. A legume diet and exercise [TE] resulted in significantly less weight gain (126 g vs. 222 g in [C]) and lower bodymass compared to animals in other treatment groups. The interaction of [TE] also resulted in significantly lower seruminsulin compared to [C] animals across the study period. Diet [T] alone, significantly decreased serum triglycerides andcholesterol relative to [C] animals. Our results indicate that a tepary bean diet, with exercise, can decrease typical changes inweight gain, glycemia and lipid profile in fa/fa rats. The adoption of such a program in individuals showing signs of T2Dwould also likely serve to protect against these physiological changes. (Int J Diabetes Metab 15: 38-45, 2007)