Whey lowers the glycemic index
Adding whey—found in milk and
also available as a nutritional supplement—to a high-carbohydrate
meal may help people with diabetes keep blood sugar levels under
control.
In the study, researchers from Sweden and Denmark compared the
effects of eating a high glycemic index meal with or without whey
supplementation on blood sugar levels after the meal.
For two days, 14 people with diet-treated type II diabetes ate
a high-glycemic index breakfast of white bread followed by a high-glycemic
lunch of mashed potatoes and meatballs.
A whey supplement containing 18.2 grams of protein mixed in
water was added to both meals on one day. On another day, subjects
ate the same meals with lean ham and lactose dissolved in water
in place of the whey supplement.
Researchers took blood samples before and after the meals and
found that insulin levels were higher after the whey-supplemented
meals.
For example, insulin levels were 31% higher after the high-glycemic
index breakfast and 57% higher after the high-glycemic index lunch
when whey was included compared with when it was not. The study
also shows that the rise in blood sugar levels after lunch were
reduced by 21% with whey supplementation.
Milk is known to have an insulinotropic effect, which means that
it affects the production and activity of insulin. Researchers
think that this is because of the whey found in milk. Liquid
protein also exits the stomach faster and is digested more rapidly
than a solid protein, which may explain the higher insulin response.
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Reference
Frid
AH, Nilsson M, Holst JJ, Bjorck IM. (2005). Effect of whey on
blood glucose and insulin responses to composite breakfast and lunch
meals in type 2 diabetic subjects. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82, 69-75
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