High Protein at Breakfast Helps Glycemic Control

An Israeli study confirms what nutritionists and dietitians have been advising for years: Starting the day with a big breakfast is good for you–and especially so for type 2s.

Reporting at the recent annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain, Hadas Rabinovitz, MD, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Rehovot, Israel said that a protein- and fat-rich breakfast, constituting 33 percent of daily energy intake, can lead to significant reductions in A1c’s and blood glucose levels in type 2 patients. .

In a randomized trial, Rabinovitz and his colleagues assigned 59 overweight or obese type 2 adults either big breakfasts with ramped-up fat and protein content, or small breakfasts that accounted for about one-eighth of the patient’s daily energy intake.

At the end of the 13-week study, which 47 of the original participants completed, the Israel researchers noted reductions not only A1c’s and blood glucose levels, but less post-prandial hunger and less need for large doses of diabetes medications.

Rabinovitz concluded that higher-calorie breakfasts, richer in fat and protein than is usually recommended for type 2s, can lead to demonstrable improvements in all the markers used to manage diabetes.

Access to an abstract of the Israeli study is available at http://www.easdvirtualmeeting.org/resources/4134.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *