Whether Meat or Vegan, High-Protein Diet Best for Blood Sugar

A high-protein diet, whether from plant or animal food sources, is the best approach when it comes to blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes, a new study reveals.

Previous research on the subject has garnered mixed conclusions - some experts worry that a diet too high in protein can have an adverse effect on the kidneys, while other studies point toward the beneficial impact protein has on blood sugar control.

The new study reveals that two high-protein diets that include the same number of calories, one from plant-based foods and one from animal-based foods, have similar beneficial effects.

Glucose metabolism, liver health improved

The study included a total of 37 participants with type 2 diabetes. Each participant was randomly assigned either a high-animal or high-plant protein diet of 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrates and 30 perfect fat. Participants ate their respective diets for 6 weeks.

Researchers found that both liver fat and HbA1c levels were reduced in all participants at the end of the study, and insulin sensitivity improved only in the animal protein group.
In the plant protein group, participants showed better kidney function - which was a result not found in the animal protein group.

"In diabetic subjects, the 6-week high-protein diet leads to an improvement in glucose metabolism and decrease in liver fat independently from the protein source," the researchers wrote.

The next step, researchers say, is long-term studies that have a much bigger pool of participants to help confirm the findings.

The study is published in Diabetologia.

Source: Diabetologia