Better blood sugar breakfast

Blood sugar surges -- after-meal glucose "spikes" -- can be life threatening for the 29 million Americans with diabetes. Diabetic blood sugar spikes have been linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, kidney failure, and retinal damage. Now a new study, published in Diabetologia, suggests a novel way to suppress these deadly post-meal glucose surges: the consumption of whey protein concentrate, found in the watery portion of milk separated from cheese curds, before breakfast. According to the study, consumption of whey protein before meals may even keep diabetics' need for insulin treatment at bay.

The researchers found that glucose levels were reduced by 28 percent after the whey pre-load over the 180-minute post-meal period, with a uniform reduction during early and late phases. With whey pre-load, insulin and GLP-1 responses also were significantly higher (105 and 141 percent, respectively), producing a 96 percent increase in early insulin response.

Bonnie: This has to do with whey being a protein. Protein normalizes blood sugar, which is why we have always suggested eating a protein with carbohydrates.