Earlier studies have shown that wheat albumin may prevent blood sugar spikes after meals. In a 2013 epidemiology study on dinner patterns in Japanese adults, researchers have found a link between higher body mass index (BMI) and metabolic risk factors to late-evening meals.
In the current study, the Japanese researchers examined the potential of wheat albumin to regulate blood sugar during the night after a late-evening meal. To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 20 Japanese males aged 30 to 60 years old. The study had two-day parts with a week-long washout period between them.
For the first part of the study, the participants ate breakfast and lunch before going to a hospital to have their anthropometric and blood measurements collected. At 10 p.m., they took either placebo or wheat albumin tablets before eating dinner. They were tasked to sleep from midnight until 7 a.m. the next day, during which time their blood samples were taken intravenously. After a washout period, the participants did the same things, except this time, they took a different tablet from what they consumed in the first period.
The results showed that taking wheat albumin before dinner substantially suppressed glucose response compared to taking a placebo. This suggested that wheat albumin may be used as a functional food for improving glycemic control during the night.
"Therefore, even in healthy, non-diabetic people, the use of non-pharmacologic therapies, such as the control of dietary and fitness habits, to protect against impaired glucose tolerance during the night is recommended," wrote the researchers.
Wheat consumption may also be beneficial for people with diabetes
Wheat is one of the most commonly consumed cereal grains around the world, and a study finds that people with diabetes can benefit from adding it to their diet. It suggests that the consumption of wheat may improve diabetes and its complications.
Researchers at Afe Babalola University and the University of Ilorin in Nigeria assessed the effect of a wheat-based diet on diabetes in a rat model. To induce diabetes in rats, they gave them alloxan. After that, they fed the animals with a wheat-based diet for four weeks.
Published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, the results showed that adhering to a wheat-based diet greatly improved the levels of fasting blood glucose, albumin, globulin, bilirubin, urea, creatinine, sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+) of the diabetic rats. It also resulted in significant increases in insulin and glycogen levels, as well as activities of enzymes hexokinase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase.
Adherence to the wheat-based diet also led to significant reductions in blood sugar and levels of malondialdehyde, a highly toxic by-product of lipid metabolism in the body. In addition, it reversed the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). It also promoted alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and the regeneration of liver, kidney, and pancreas tissues. With these findings, the researchers concluded that adding wheat to the diet of people with diabetes may be beneficial in managing the disease and its complications. (Related: Do you get enough whole grains? Eat more to lose weight, feel fuller longer, reduce inflammation.)
Find more ways to control blood sugar levels naturally at BloodSugar.news.
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