Researchers have found that people with type 2 diabetes and obesity who eat protein and vegetable before carbohydrates show lower post meal glucose and insulin levels as a result of consuming food groups in that particular order.
They think that suggesting an eat-this-then-that rather than an eat-this-instead-of-that approach to diet control may be more effective way for type 2 diabetes and obese patients to keep their disorders in check.
Dr. Louis Aronne, a professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College said, “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. This study points to an easier way that patients might lower their blood sugar and insulin levels.”
The study consisted of 11 people eating meal of ciabatta bread, chicken bread, lettuce and tomato salad with low-fat dressing, steamed broccoli with butter an orange juice twice, on separate days, a week apart.
The first week, researchers had participants eat carbohydrates, ciabatta bread and orange juice, first, and then 15 minutes later eat everything else for protein, vegetables and fat.
The second week, participants are protein, vegetables and fat first, waited for 15 minutes and then ate carbohydrate.
Glucose levels were taken for all the participants 30, 60 and 120 minutes after each meal.
They found glucose levels to be much lower at 30,60 and 120 minute check, by 29 percent, 37 percent and 17 percent, when the vegetables and proteins were eaten before the carbohydrates .
Aronne said, “Based on this finding, instead of saying ‘don’t eat that’ to their patients, clinicians might instead say, ‘eat this before that,’ while we need to do some follow-up work, based on this finding, patients with type 2 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.”
The findings of the study are published in Diabetes Care.
