Whether you’re a fan of sardines or not, there’s no denying they’ve got some amazing health benefits.

From regulating cholesterol levels and helping prevent cardiovascular disease, to having huge amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and calcium, the benefits seem endless.

But in a huge scientific discovery published in the Clinical Nutrition journal, a new study has found the regular consumption of sardines can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

What exactly was the study?

152 patients aged 65 and over, all who had pre-diabetes, were put on a nutritional program and divided into categories.

What happened?

One group added 200g of sardines to their weekly diet (two cans worth of sardines), and were told to eat the sardine whole (bones and all) as the skeletons are high in calcium and vitamin D.

What were the results?

For the group that did not add sardines to their weekly diet, after one year, 22% were still at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, when at the beginning of the study, 27% were at risk.

For the group who did eat sardines each week, only 8% were still in the high risk category after one year, when at the beginning of the study, 37% were considered high risk.

What else did researchers find?

Researchers also found an improvement in insulin resistance, increased ‘good’ cholesterol as well as a decrease in blood pressure.

What does this mean?

Basically, sardines have a protective effect against the onset of diabetes thanks to their rich amount of taurine, omega-3, calcium and vitamin D.

Adding these to your diet on a regular basis, along with other healthy fat and high protein foods, can help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and keep your brain and body healthy.

Check out some of our low carb recipes which have been proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

With 1.3 million Aussies diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, now is the time to take control of your health.

Together, we can make a difference.