A simple alteration to the first meal of the day could help individuals with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) to manage their blood sugar levels better, suggests a new study led by a team from UBC Okanagan.
The research, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, encourages a shift from a traditional low-fat breakfast to a low-carb meal higher in protein and fat.
Reducing Glucose Spikes
One of the challenges people living with T2D face is rapid increases in blood glucose levels after eating.
The research indicates that a low-carbohydrate meal in the morning can help control blood sugar throughout the day.
Managing glucose levels is crucial for mitigating complications of T2D, including inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Low-Carb Breakfast for Better Adherence
Low-carb diets have been recognized as a beneficial dietary strategy for glucose control, but adherence, especially long-term, can be challenging.
The study looked at making only the first meal of the day low-carb and analyzed its effect on diet adherence and blood glucose levels.
Study Setup and Findings
The 12-week study involved 121 participants, divided into two groups.
The first group ate low-carb breakfasts with 8g of carbohydrates, 25g of protein, and 37g of fat, while the second group consumed low-fat, high-carb options containing around 56g of carbohydrates, 20g of protein, and 15g of fat. Both types of breakfasts provided 450 calories.
Participants wore continuous glucose monitoring devices and had A1C blood tests at the start and end of the study.
While there were no significant changes in weight, BMI, or waist circumference between the groups, the low-carb group observed a reduction in blood sugar levels, and some were able to decrease their glucose-lowering medication.
This group also experienced less glycemic variability, suggesting a low-carb breakfast could help stabilize blood sugars throughout the day.
Interestingly, individuals who had a low-carb breakfast reported lower calorie and carbohydrate intake for the rest of the day.
This finding suggests that a breakfast rich in protein and fat, but lower in carbs, could influence daily eating habits.
A Practical Approach to Diabetes Management
Dr. Oliveira emphasizes that the study’s aim is not about a complete diet overhaul but rather a minor adjustment to one meal’s carb content.
This approach has the potential to increase adherence significantly while still obtaining significant benefits.
A low-carb breakfast not only aligns better with how people with T2D handle glucose throughout the day, but it also shows promising potential for those who struggle with their glucose levels in the morning.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that green tea could help reduce death risk in diabetes, and widely used diabetes drug metformin may reduce cognitive decline.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that blueberries strongly benefit people with metabolic syndrome, and results showing common diabetes drugs that can spike heart attack risk.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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