People who experience a significant drop in blood sugar burn more calories

According to a new study, people whose blood sugar levels drop significantly hours after a meal feel hungry more than others and burn hundreds of calories a day.

Study published today Natural metabolism, From PREDICT, the world’s largest ongoing nutrition research program investigating the response to food in the real environment, the research team at King’s College London, and the health sciences company ZOE (Harvard College of Medicine, Harvard University TH Chan School of Public) Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Nottingham, Leeds University, Lund University, Sweden) (including scientists) found out why even calorie-controlled diets are struggling to lose weight, diet and health.

After eating a standardized breakfast and a free-choice diet for two weeks, the research team collected detailed data on glycemic response and other health markers from 1,070 people. A total of over 8,000 breakfasts and 70,000 meals.

A standard breakfast was based on muffins that contained the same amount of calories but differed in composition in terms of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber. Participants also performed a fasting glycemic response test (oral glucose tolerance test) to measure how well their body processed sugar.

Participants wore a stick-on continuous blood glucose monitor (CGM) to measure blood glucose levels throughout the study and a wearable device to monitor activity and sleep. They also used the phone app to record their levels of hunger and alertness, accurately recording what they ate, when and what they ate that day.

Previous studies examining postprandial blood glucose focused on how levels rise and fall in the first two hours after a meal, known as peak blood glucose levels. However, after analyzing the data, the PREDICT team found that two to four hours after this first peak, those who experienced a significant “sugar drop” before their blood glucose levels rapidly fell below baseline and recovered. I noticed that I was there.

Larger dippers increased hunger by 9%, and even though they ate the exact same meal, they averaged about 30 minutes less time to wait for the next meal than smaller dippers.

The large dipper also ate 75 calories more 3-4 hours after breakfast and about 312 calories a day than the small dipper. This type of pattern can lead to 20 pounds of weight gain in a year.

Although it has long been suspected that blood sugar levels play an important role in controlling hunger, the results of previous studies were inconclusive. Sugar dips are a better predictor of hunger and subsequent caloric intake than the initial peak glycemic response after a meal, changing the way we think about the relationship between glycemic levels and the foods we eat. Shown. “

Dr. Sarabury, King’s College London

Professor Anna Valdes of the University of Nottingham School of Medicine, who led the research team, said: Weight gain for over a year. Our finding that the size of sugar dips after eating has a tremendous impact on hunger and appetite offers great potential to help people understand and control their weight and long-term health. It’s hidden. “

Comparing what happens when participants eat the same test meal reveals that there are significant differences in glycemic response among people. Researchers also found that there was no correlation between age, weight, or BMI and being a large or small dipper, but on average men have slightly larger dips than women. Was there.

There is also some variation in the size of the dip that each person experiences as they eat the same meal on different days, suggesting that whether you are a dipper depends on your metabolism and that day. doing. -Daytime effects of dietary choices and activity levels.

Choosing foods that work with your unique biology will help people feel full longer and eat less overall.

Patrick Watt of ZOE, the lead author of the study, said: “This study shows how wearable technology provides valuable insights to help people understand their own biology and manage nutrition and health. It works well, not against their own body. It paves the way for data-driven personalized guidance for anyone trying to manage hunger and calorie intake in a way that works. “

Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and a scientific co-founder of ZOE, concludes: Excited to be able to turn this state-of-the-art science into home nutrition and microbiome testing, everyone has a unique reaction to foods that best support their metabolism and gut health. You have the opportunity to discover. “