A latest research on diabetes showed that eating just the breakfast and lunch effectively manages type 2 diabetes.
Czech Republic researchers studied 54 patients with Type 2 diabetes for 24 weeks. The participants were divided into two groups. They were asked to follow a diet that lowered their energy intake by 500 calories per day and contained 50 to 55 percent carbohydrates, 20 to 25 percent protein and less than 30 percent fat, reports CNN.
In the initial 12 weeks, group one had to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with three small snacks between meals. Group two had to eat a heavy breakfast between 6 and 10 a.m. and a equally heavy lunch between 12 and 4 p.m. The procedure was interchanged among the two groups for the second 12 weeks.
The participants were asked not to modify their working out habits during the study time frame.
The study findings showed that the participants in both the groups reduced weight and decreased the amount of fat in their livers. But the researchers noted that the group that ate just two larger meals lost more during each 12-week session. The team explained that eating fewer, bigger meals resulted in reducing increasing blood sugar levels. This means that the body's insulin production was working more efficiently.
Researchers clarified that the timings of meals did not affect the functioning of beta cells that produce insulin or on the glucose metabolic clearance rate.
The results "pleased" the researchers. "The patients were really afraid they would get hungry in the evening but feelings of hunger were lower as the patients ate until they were satisfied." lead researcher Dr Hana Kahleova, at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, said, reports BBC.
"But when they ate six times a day the meals were not leaving them feeling satisfied. It was quite surprising."
However, the researchers said that more research is required before giving any recommendation in terms of meal frequency.
The research was published in the journal 'Diabetologia'.
