Food Science Project Studies Fruity Ways to Prevent Diabetes
Contact: Mary Camire (207) 581-1627; David Munson (207) 581-3777
With type 2 diabetes on the rise in Maine, UMaine Food Science and Human Nutrition researcher Mary Camire and graduate student Amy Henderson are studying the ways in which common foods may reduce the risk of developing the disease. Utilizing a $61,700 grant from the Gustavus & Louis Research Foundation, Camire will try to determine whether foods rich in the naturally occurring chemicals known as anthocyanins could help to fend off type 2 diabetes.
Known to affect some aspects of diabetes, anthocyanins are the chemicals that give purple and red fruits such as blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries their bright colors. Naturally high in anthocyanins, wild blueberries are an important crop in Maine, with an annual crop value of more than $75 million.
Researchers involved in the project will monitor risk factors for diabetes in adult volunteers who consume two servings of anthocyanin-containing foods per day over a period of three months. If the risk factors are measurably reduced, the project could identify a simple and easy way to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.