A new study has found that by consuming more a high protein breakfast, women maintain more control of their glucose levels.
Throughout the years, research has found that high increases of glucose and insulin within the blood can lead to poor glucose control that leads to diabetes over time. Therefore, many people have started to watch what they eat more often than they used. Researchers have now found that eating a breakfast full of high protein can help women to control their blood sugar levels then breakfasts that do not contain protein or even low amounts of protein.
“For women, eating more protein in the morning can beneficially affect their glucose and insulin levels,” said Heather Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology. “If you eat healthy now and consume foods that help you control your glucose levels, you may be protecting yourself from developing diabetes in the future.”
The amount of glucose or sugar within the human blood rises after eating a meal in a healthy individual. Upon increasing, the levels in insulin increases in order to carry the glucose to their rest of the body. However, when there is an extreme increase in glucose and insulin within the blood, it can lead to poor glucose control which causes diabetes.
Leidy and Kevin Maki PhD, of Biofortis Clinical Research Center whom both completed the study on women aged 18-55 years old who consumed one of three different meals or only water on four continuous days. Each meal contained 300 calories per serving with similar fat and fiber contents. The mails varied from protein such as: a sausage and egg breakfast skillet with 30 grams of protein, a pancake meal with three grams of protein or a sausage and egg breakfast skillet with 39 grams protein. The participants were monitored by the amount of glucose and insulin in their blood for four hours after eating breakfast.
“Both protein-rich breakfasts led to lower spikes in glucose and insulin after meals compared to the low-protein, high-carb breakfast,” Maki said. “Additionally, the higher-protein breakfast containing 39 grams of protein led to lower post-meal spikes compared to the high-protein breakfast with 30 grams of protein.”
Due to these findings, it is suggested that women who eat a high-protein breakfast every morning will maintain better glucose control throughout the morning than women who have low-protein or no protein breakfasts.
“Since most American women consume only about 10-15 grams of protein during breakfast, the 30-39 grams might seem like a challenging dietary change,” Leidy said. “However, one potential strategy to assist with this change might include the incorporation of prepared convenience meals, such as those included in this study.”
The researchers are hopeful that with this new finding, many women will decrease their pre-diabetic risk and manage their glucose levels better.
