Your daily dahi is your best defence against diabetes

A study says that eating homemade curd every day is good for you, reports Sanchita Sharma.

Granny was right. Eating homemade curd every day is good for you. It slows down the progression of diabetes, lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. The findings are reported in the latest issue of international journal Nutrition.

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The study, conducted by the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana, examined the effect of bacteria found in homemade yoghurt — made from skimmed cow or buffalo milk — on blood glucose, insulin, lipid levels and liver glycogen in a group of rats. Yoghurt came out the winner on all fronts.

"The results confirmed that the bacteria contained in curd can bring about a delaying effect on the progress of diabetes induced by high fructose administration," says Hariom Yadav, lead author of the study, who is with the animal biochemistry division at the NDRI. The study concludes that a curd-supplemented diet delayed the onset of glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and dyslipidemia in diabetic rats, indicating a lower risk of diabetes.

The question is, how much curd should one consume? Dr Anoop Misra at the Fortis Group of Hospitals recommends two small bowls a day. That should be good news for the three crore diabetics in India.

Email Sanchita Sharma: sanchitasharma@hindustantimes.com