Tel Aviv — A new study from Tel Aviv University suggests that type 2 diabetics could reduce or even stop insulin injections by changing the timing and composition of their meals.
Currently, many type 2 diabetics inject insulin up to four times a day. Insulin helps regulate blood sugar by moving glucose into the liver, muscles, and fat cells. However, frequent insulin injections often lead to weight gain and poor blood sugar control. This creates a cycle where patients need higher insulin doses, which raises the risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications.
The new research proposes a simple dietary change: eat a starch-rich breakfast early in the morning and have a small dinner without starch, sweets, or fruits. This contrasts with the traditional diabetic diet, which recommends six small meals spaced evenly throughout the day.
“Our metabolism and biological clock are optimized for eating in the morning and fasting in the evening,” said Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. She led the study in collaboration with researchers from Wolfson Medical Center and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The findings were published in Diabetes Care in December.
Prof. Jakubowicz explained that the usual “6M-diet,” which includes three meals and three snacks daily—even a snack before bedtime—has not effectively controlled blood sugar. As a result, patients often require increasing doses of medication and insulin, which contributes to weight gain and worsens glucose control.
The study involved 29 participants with type 2 diabetes. They were divided into two groups: one followed the traditional 6M-diet, and the other followed the new “3M-diet,” which consists of a starch-rich breakfast of bread, fruits, and sweets, a substantial lunch, and a small dinner without starches or sweets.
After the study period, those on the traditional diet showed no weight loss or improvement in blood sugar. In contrast, the 3M-diet group lost weight and experienced significantly better glucose control.
“The need for diabetic medications, especially insulin, dropped substantially in the 3M group,” Prof. Jakubowicz said. “Some participants were able to stop insulin completely.”
The researchers also observed that the 3M-diet improved the activity of genes related to the biological clock. This may help prevent complications like cardiovascular disease, aging, and cancer, which are linked to circadian rhythms.
The team believes that enhanced gene expression improves insulin secretion and glucose metabolism during the day and night, helping maintain balanced blood sugar levels.
Ongoing research is exploring how specific proteins in breakfast foods may contribute to these positive effects in diabetics.
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