Women: High Protein Breakfast for Glucose Control

Women who consume high-protein breakfasts maintain better glucose and insulin control as compared to women with lower-protein or no-protein meals. 

In healthy individuals sugar levels-and corresponding levels of insulin to carry the glucose throughout the body-increase after eating. Extreme increases in glucose and insulin can lead to diabetes.
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In the study, women between the ages of 18 and 55 who did not have diabetes were randomized to consume 1 of 3 different meals or only water on 4 consecutive days. Meals included pancakes with 3 gm of protein or a sausage and egg breakfast skillet with either 30 gm or 39 gm of protein. All 3 meals were less than 300 calories per serving and had similar fat and fiber contents.

After monitoring the participants’ blood for 4 hours post-meal, researchers concluded that protein-rich breakfasts lead to better glucose control through the morning.

“Both protein-rich breakfasts led to lower spikes in glucose and insulin after meals compared to the low-protein, high-carb breakfast,” said Kevin Maki, of Biofortis Clinical Research. “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.”

Heather Leidy, lead author and assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri, noted that most American women consume only 10 gm to 15 gm of protein during breakfast.

–Pooja Shah

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Reference:

Univeristy of Missouri. Consuming high-protein breakfasts helps women maintain glucose control, MS study finds [press release]. 2014 Apr 29. Available at: http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2014/0429-consuming-high-protein-breakfasts-helps-women-maintain-glucose-control-mu-study-finds/. Accessed May 2, 2014.