An early, starch-rich breakfast coupled with a low-starch dinner may be the key to better glycemic control for people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
The experimental diet included a meal of bread, fruits and sweets in the early hours of the morning, a substantial lunch, and a small dinner low in starches, sweets and fruits. Study participants who followed this diet lost weight and experienced substantially improved sugar levels, reported study lead Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., from Tel Aviv University.
“Their need for diabetic medication, especially for insulin doses, dipped substantially. Some were even able to stop using insulin altogether,” she said.
In contrast, a control group who followed a traditional diabetes diet of six small meals spread throughout the day did not lose weight or experience any improvement in sugar levels.
“We believe that through this regimen it will be possible for diabetics to significantly reduce or even stop the injections of insulin, and most of antidiabetic medications, to achieve excellent control of glucose levels,” Jakubowicz concluded.
Full findings were published in the journal Diabetes Care.
