“Nutritional origins of insulin resistance: A rat model for diabetes-prone human populations.” Martin et al. Journal of Nutrition. 130.4 (2000): 741-44.
Benyshek was only a contributor to this article, which was published before even his graduate thesis. Benyshek’s first publication is significant because it outlines the standard held constant throughout all of his publications: using a scientific/laboratory approach to prevent diabetes. In this article, Benyshek and his colleagues tested the effects of undernutrition on insulin production of adult rats in an effort to draw some conclusions about the causes of insulin failure. Nutrition would also become a prominent theme in Benyshek’s publications.
“A reconsideration of the origins of the Type 2 diabetes epidemic among Native Americans and the implications for intervention policy.” Benyshek et al. Medical Anthropology. 20.1 (2001): 25-63.
Benyshek’s graduate thesis relates specifically to the diabetes epidemic among Native Americans. This is the first time that he had published an article that deals directly with Native American communities. In this article Benyshek and his contributors affirm the significance of maternal nutrition in determining who develops diabetes. This article downplays any genetic factors that may influence the high rate of diabetes among Native Americans and instead concludes that those at the most risk of diabetes are those who were undernourished fetuses.
“The nutritional history of the Havasupai Indians of Northern Arizona: Dietary change and inadequacy in the reservation era and their implications for current health” Benyshek et al. Nutritional Anthropology. 26.1-2 (2003): 1-10.
This article, appearing in a 2003 issue of Nutritional Anthropology, again demonstrates Benyshek’s interest in Native Americans, particularly the Havasupai people in Northern Arizona. Benyshek continues to discuss nutrition and its implication toward diabetes prevention. In this article, Benyshek draws a connection between the poor recent nutritional history of the Havasupai Indian Tribe and the high incidence of diabetes among these people.
“Type 2 diabetes and fetal origins: The promise of prevention programs focusing on prenatal health in high prevalence Native American communities.” Benyshek et al. Human Organization. 64.2 (2005): 192-200.
Benyshek uses this article to analyze existing diabetes prevention programs in Native American communities and to propose new strategies that focus on prenatal health and nutrition. He discusses how maternal nutrition impacts the probability that the fetus will develop diabetes and how this knowledge can be used to shape our perception of diabetes prevention.