The Effectiveness of Soy in the Diets of Diabetic African Americans
This research project focuses on the effect of soy on the diabetic diet of African Americans. Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and disturbances of carbohydrates, fat, and protein metabolism associated with relative deficiencies in insulin secretion and/or insulin action. Diabetes in African American is a critical health issue having the highest rate of Type 2 diabetes. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), also called Type 2 or adult onset diabetes is associated with obesity and improper diet. It has been proven that lifestyle and socio-economic status are the most important risk factors for African Americans, in determining whether or not they will acquire this disease in their lifetime. It is known that a large number of African American live in impoverished communities, which gives them less access to high grades of food sources. Soy is knows as the "Miracle Food" in helping to treat many diseases. Soy foods have a low glycemic index and help normalize blood glucose levels. With recognition that there is a need for proper education of diet, a soy-based cookbook will be formulated strictly for diabetics. In the laboratory, recipes will be gathered, exchanges will be formulated for diabetics, and the preparation and standardization of foods will be conducted. A detailed depiction of a regular recipe including meat and various fats will be compared to a recipe containing soy products with less fat to show how soy can assist in the diets of African American in preventing and treating diabetes. A sensory panel consisting of predominately African Americans will be implemented to assure satisfaction with the recipes, using a hedonic rating scale. Society is increasingly becoming cognizant of soy and its benefits of fighting various diseases, and in improving one's health.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Food Science
Research Advisor:
Barbara Klein
Department of Research Advisor:
Food Science and Human Nutrition
Year of Publication:
2003