Study shows how blood sugar response to carbs can signal prediabetes risk

A pioneering Stanford University study has revealed fascinating insights into how blood sugar responses can indicate metabolic health risks. Researchers discovered that individual glucose reactions to different foods might signal potential prediabetes development. The study involved 55 participants and utilized advanced multi-omics profiling to understand metabolic variations. These findings could revolutionize personalized prevention strategies for diabetes and metabolic disorders.

"Not only are there subtypes within prediabetes, but also that your subtype could determine the foods you should and should not eat" - Michael Snyder, Stanford Medicine

Blood sugar responses after food, especially carbohydrates, may indicate metabolic health status as well as signal the risk of prediabetes, according to a study.

Key Points

1 Blood sugar responses vary widely among individuals

2 Specific food types trigger different metabolic reactions

3 Insulin resistance can be predicted through glucose patterns

4 Lifestyle interventions may reduce diabetes risk

Researchers from Stanford University in the US explained that the differences in blood sugar response patterns among individuals were associated with specific metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction -- both can lead to diabetes.

The findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that this variability in blood sugar response could lead to personalised prevention and treatment strategies for prediabetes and diabetes.

"This study suggests that not only are there subtypes within prediabetes, but also that your subtype could determine the foods you should and should not eat," said Michael Snyder, Professor in Genetics at Stanford Medicine.

In the study, 55 participants without a history of Type 2 diabetes underwent metabolic testing for insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction. The participants were also subjected to multi-omics profiling, which included tests for triglyceride levels, metabolites in the plasma of the blood, measures of liver function, and gut microbiome data.

Just under half of the participants, 26 in total, had prediabetes.

The results showed that many participants had a blood glucose spike after eating rice or grapes, regardless of their metabolic health status.

The blood glucose responses to foods containing the highest amounts of resistant starch -- potatoes and pasta -- varied depending on the participants' metabolic dysfunction.

Participants whose blood sugar spiked after eating bread were more likely to have hypertension or high blood pressure.

The comparison of the blood glucose responses to potatoes versus grapes was associated with insulin resistance, suggesting that this ratio could serve as a real-world biomarker for insulin resistance in the future.

"Such a biomarker would be useful because insulin resistance is amenable to lifestyle and medication interventions that can reduce the risk for diabetes in high-risk individuals. At present there is no easy way to diagnose it in the clinic," said Tracey McLaughlin, professor of endocrinology at the varsity.

The researchers also found that eating fibre or protein before the rice lowered the glucose spike, and eating fat before the rice delayed the peak of the spike.

However, these changes in blood glucose response occurred only in the metabolically healthy participants who were insulin-sensitive or had normal beta cell function, said the team calling for further research.

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