A new study suggests that eating proteins and vegetables first before carbohydrates can result in lower blood sugar and insulin levels among obese, type 2 diabetes patients.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College enlisted 11 patients who were obese and had type 2 diabetes. The participants had to eat two specific meals on two separate days a week apart. Each meal consisted of ciabatta bread and orange juice (carbohydrates), chicken breast (protein), lettuce and tomato salad with low-fat dressing and steamed broccoli with butter (vegetables and fat). The researchers measured the participants' glucose level before and after each meal.
The participants were instructed to eat the carbs first before the protein and vegetables during the first meal. A week later, the participants ate the protein and vegetables first before the carbs.
The analysis showed that the glucose levels of the participants were about 28 percent lower, on average, when they ate the carbs last during their meals. The researchers measured their glucose levels thrice at an interval of 30, 60 and 120 minutes after each meal.
The researchers concluded that changing the food order during meals can be beneficial to type 2 diabetes patients who also have obesity.
"We're always looking for ways to help people with diabetes lower their blood sugar," Louis Aronne, senior study author and a professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a news release. "We rely on medicine, but diet is an important part of this process, too. Unfortunately, we've found that it's difficult to get people to change their eating habits."
"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 was published in the June 23 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
