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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : July 9, 2014 8:13 AM IST
Controlling blood sugar levels may be a lot easier for diabetics as researchers have discovered that consuming whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces the blood sugar spikes seen after meals. Whey also improves the body's insulin response. 'Whey protein may, therefore, represent a novel approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in type-2 diabetes,' the researchers noted. (Read: 10 diet dos and don'ts for diabetics)
The study included 15 people with well-controlled type-2 diabetes who were not taking any medications except for sulfonylureas or metformin (oral diabetes drugs). Testing participants with type-2 diabetes, 180 minutes after their meal, researchers found that glucose levels were reduced by 28 percent after whey protein pre-load compared with no whey protein. Also, the early insulin response (meaning within the first 30 minutes following breakfast) was 96 percent higher after whey protein than without. (Read: 10 ways to control diabetes naturally)
'In summary, consumption of whey protein shortly before a high-glycaemic-index breakfast increased the early and late post-meal insulin secretion, improved GLP-1 responses and reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetic patients,' said the authors of the study. The research was conducted in Israel by Daniela Jakubowicz and Julio Wainstein (Wolfson Medical Center, Tel Aviv University), Oren Froy (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Bo Ahr n (Lund University, Sweden) and colleagues. The research was published in the journal Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. (Read: Keep your blood sugar in control naturally with garlic)
How to prevent diabetes?
Diabetes has already become a huge epidemic of our times, and the number of diabetics will keep on increasing over the next 20 years or probably beyond that. A lot is being said and written about controlling diabetes and living a healthy life with diabetes, but the prevention aspect of diabetes also needs to be highlighted. The most disturbing part of this disease is that you cannot tell if you're destined to be a diabetic. Therefore, it's better to take the right measures beforehand and keep diabetes at bay.
1. Get your sugar levels checked: A lot of people have prediabetes (fasting sugar: 100-125 mg/dl) and are totally clueless about it. A blood sugar test will help you to understand whether you're prediabetic and what are your chances of developing diabetes. If you get diagnosed with prediabetes, then you can take the right steps and prevent it from transforming into irreversible diabetes. Here are things you should know about prediabetes.
2. Change your lifestyle: Sometimes, small changes can make a huge difference. Lifestyle intervention for preventing diabetes is the best example for this. Several studies on diabetes prevention programme have proved that diabetes can be prevented effectively by giving up sedentary lifestyle and adopting healthier changes. Read more about sedentary lifestyle and diabetes risk.
3. Eat healthy: Eat a healthy diet that has low calories, especially low saturated fats. Trials have shown that fat intake should not exceed 30 percent of the total calorie intake, whereas saturated fats should be restricted to just 10 percent. Include more of vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, dairy products and sources of omega 3 fats. Also, increase your fibre intake. Here's how fibre can help you to prevent diabetes.
4. Eat smart by limiting your portion size: How much you eat and when you eat is as important as what you eat. Reducing portion size and dividing meals throughout the day reduces the risk of obesity and diabetes.Eatingproportionately will definitely be more helpful than starving yourself and overeating later due to excessive hunger. Irregularity in pattern of eating also causes drastic changes in blood sugar levels. Read more about 10 tips to prevent diabetes
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