NEW WHEY TO CONTROL DIABETES
Blood sugar surges --
after-meal glucose "spikes" -- can be life threatening for the 29
million Americans with diabetes. Diabetic blood sugar spikes have been linked
to cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, kidney failure, and
retinal damage. Now a new Tel Aviv University study, published in Diabetologia, suggests a novel way to suppress these deadly
post-meal glucose surges: the consumption of whey protein concentrate, found in
the watery portion of milk separated from cheese curds, before breakfast
According to TAU's
Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz and Dr. Julio Wainstein of the Wolfson Medical
Center's Diabetes Unit, Prof. Oren Froy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
and Prof. Bo Ahrén of Lund University in Sweden, the consumption of whey
protein before meals may even keep diabetics' need for insulin treatment at
bay.
"What's
remarkable is that consuming whey protein before meals reduces the blood sugar
spikes seen after meals. It also improves the body's insulin response, putting
it in the same range or even higher than that produced by novel anti-diabetic
drugs," said Prof. Jakubowicz. "High milk intake has long been
associated with lower risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and
milk whey protein increases the production of a gut hormone called
glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that stimulates insulin secretion. This, in
turn, reduces the blood glucose rise after meals."
A whey cocktail before
breakfast
"We hypothesized
that stimulating GLP-1 production by consuming whey protein before a meal would
enhance insulin secretion and have beneficial glucose-lowering effects in type
2 diabetes," Prof. Jakubowicz said.
The study was
conducted on 15 individuals with well-controlled type 2 diabetes at Wolfson
Medical Center. The participants were randomized to receive either 50 grams of
whey in 250 ml water or a placebo, followed by a standardized high-glycemic
index breakfast of three slices of white bread and sugary jelly -- a meal
designed to produce the maximum post-meal glucose spike.
Blood samples were
taken 30 minutes before the meal, when the whey protein or placebo drinks were
consumed. Further blood samples, assessing plasma concentration of glucose,
intact GLP-1, and insulin concentrations, were taken when the breakfast was
served and at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minute intervals after the
meal.
The most important
meal of the day?
The researchers found
that glucose levels were reduced by 28 percent after the whey pre-load over the
180-minute post-meal period, with a uniform reduction during early and late
phases. With whey pre-load, insulin and GLP-1 responses also were significantly
higher (105 and 141 percent, respectively), producing a 96 percent increase in
early insulin response.
"The early
insulin response that usually is deficient in type-2 diabetes was significantly
higher after whey protein than with placebo, and the whey protein preload
significantly reduced the elevation of blood glucose after breakfast,"
said Prof. Jakubowicz. "Whey protein could therefore represent a novel
approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in type 2 diabetes."
Based on the findings
of this study, the authors are considering a long-term clinical trial to test
the enduring benefits of whey protein consumption for diabetics.
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