New study finds certain diet may cut risk of type 2 diabetes

According to one study, eating 80 percent of your calories before 1 p.m. may help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Researchers have found that eating most of your food earlier in the day can improve blood sugar fluctuations and reduce the amount of time that blood sugar stays above normal levels.

The team, led by scientists from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, recruited 10 people with obesity and high blood sugar levels for their study.

They compared Early Time-Restricted Feeding (eTRF) — in which 80 percent of calories are consumed before 1 p.m. — with a normal diet, in which half of daily calories are consumed after 4 p.m.

Participants were assigned to one of the diets for a week and then switched to the other for another week.

Throughout the study, the participants received enough calories to maintain their current weight, and they wore blood sugar monitors throughout the process.

Analysis found that when people ate the most calories before 1 p.m., the amount of time their blood sugar spent in the “high” range decreased compared to the group who ate normally.

The study’s senior author, Jose Aleman, said: ‘We reduced the time these individuals had high blood sugar with just one week of eTRF feeding.

“The findings show that eating most of one’s calories earlier in the day shortens the time that blood sugar is elevated, improving metabolic health.”

Millions of people have prediabetes, which makes them up to 15 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

This group has blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to diagnose the condition, and they are usually overweight or obese.

Lead author Dr Joanne Bruno said: ‘In our recent study, colleagues and I found that individuals who eat 80 percent of their daily calories within the first six to eight hours of the day can improve blood sugar fluctuations, the time their blood sugar levels rise. increased and may prevent weight gain.

“This type of intermittent fasting can prevent people with prediabetes and obesity from progressing to type 2 diabetes, and provides a useful nutritional strategy for diabetes prevention.”

Throughout the study, the weight of all participants remained the same.

As a result, the researchers said their study is the first to show that just this form of fasting — regardless of weight loss — may have the beneficial effect.

The findings were presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting in Chicago.

WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?

Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS

• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count

• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat muesli biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and a large baked potato with skin

• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat, lower-sugar options

• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fatty)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities

• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day

• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide