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Protein, carbohydrate intake order affects glucose, insulin levels
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Patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes who eat protein before carbohydrates have lower postprandial glucose and insulin levels, according to recent study findings published in Diabetes Care.
“We’re always looking for ways to help people with diabetes lower their blood sugar,” Louis Aronne, MD, the Sanford I. Weill professor of metabolic research and professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a press release. “We rely on medicine, but diet is an important part of this process, too. Unfortunately, we’ve found that it’s difficult to get people to change their eating habits.”
Louis Aronne
Aronne and colleagues evaluated six women and five men with metformin-treated type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity to determine whether consuming protein before carbohydrates or vice versa affects postprandial glucose and insulin excursions.
“Carbohydrates raise blood sugar, but if you tell someone not to eat them — or to drastically cut back — it’s hard for them to comply,” Aronne said. “This study points to an easier way that patients might lower their blood sugar and insulin levels.”
After a 12-hour fast, participants consumed a meal with similar calories on 2 different days, 1 week apart. Participants consumed carbohydrates before protein and vegetables during the first meal, and the order was reversed during the second. Glucose and insulin were measured through blood samples at baseline and 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the start of the meal.
Compared with the first meal, mean postprandial glucose levels were lower by 28.6% (P = .001) at 30 minutes, 36.7% (P = .001) at 60 minutes and 16.8% (P = .03) at 120 minutes after the second meal.
Postprandial insulin levels also were significantly lower after the second meal compared with the first meal.
“Based on this finding, instead of saying ‘don’t eat that’ to their patients, clinicians might instead say, ‘eat this before that,’” Aronne said. “While we need to do some follow-up work, based on this finding, patients with type 2 [diabetes] might be able to make a simple change to lower their blood sugar throughout the day, decrease how much insulin they need to take, and potentially have a long-lasting, positive impact on their health.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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