
Eating whey protein every day could help stop diabetes
Nearly three million Britons suffer from Type 2 diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or it fails to work properly.
Researchers discovered that whey protein, often used by athletes and weightlifters to improve fitness, stimulates the production of a gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which boosts insulin.
The study, carried out by researchers in Israel and published in the journal Diabetologia, involved 15 people with controlled Type 2 diabetes who were only taking diabetes drugs sulphonylurea or metformin for the condition.
It found that those who ate whey – sold in most health stores – before breakfast saw an instant increase in insulin production.
Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, of Tel Aviv University, said: “Consumption of whey protein shortly before breakfast increased the early and late post-meal insulin secretion, improved GLP-1 responses and reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetic patients.
“Whey protein may therefore represent a novel approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in Type 2 diabetes.”
Professor Jakubowicz said that such treatment would be cheap and easy to administer, with patients able to use any brand of whey protein concentrate which has no added sugar or other nutrients.
Charity Diabetes UK gave the research a cautious welcome but warned that carrying out physical exercise and maintaining a healthy diet remained crucial.
Communications manager Dr Richard Elliott said: “While interesting, these results do not provide strong evidence that eating whey protein before meals is an effective
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