Most know that diet affect can a person with diabetes. However, a study recently clarifies if individuals with type 2 diabetes can benefit from a higher-protein diet. Find out the details of the study, the results, and what higher levels of Vitamin D mean for type 2 diabetes. See the full article at http://healthbridge.parrishmed.com/higher-protein-diet-may-help-some-type-2-diabetes and for more information on diabetes, visit http://www.parrishmed.com/programs-services/parrish-medical-center/cardiovascular-programs/heart-diabetes/default.aspx.

1. Higher-Protein Diet May Help
Some With Type 2 Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes
may benefit from a higher-
protein diet, but it likely
depends on whether or not
they have a particular gene
related to vitamin D
metabolism, new research
suggests.

2. The study of overweight adults with type 2 diabetes
found that people lost a similar amount of weight over
two years whether they followed a high-protein, low-
protein, low-fat or high-fat diet.
But differences emerged when it came to dieters' levels
of insulin -- a hormone that regulates blood sugar. In
type 2 diabetes, the body loses its sensitivity to insulin,
which triggers spikes in blood sugar and insulin
production.

3. In this study, some people showed bigger reductions in
insulin and improved insulin sensitivity when they ate a
higher-protein diet: namely, people with a particular
gene variant that boosts blood levels of vitamin D.
It's not clear yet what it all means, said lead researcher
Qibin Qi, an assistant professor at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, in New York City. For one, the
information is not practically useful since people do not
know the genetics behind their personal vitamin D
metabolism.

4. "Right now, we're just in the 'concept phase' of this
research," said Qi. The study is published online Sept. 29
in the journal Diabetologia. Vitamin D is best known for
its bone-building effects, but it has wide-ranging jobs in
the body, such as helping to regulate cell growth,
immune function and inflammation, according to the
U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Studies have linked low vitamin D levels to an increased
risk of various chronic health conditions, including type
2 diabetes, Qi pointed out.

5. For the current study, his team wanted to see whether
genetic variations in vitamin D metabolism made a
difference in how people with type 2 diabetes
responded to different weight-loss diets.
The study included 645 overweight and obese adults
who spent two years on one of four reduced-calorie
diets.
Two diets were relatively high in protein, with 25
percent of daily calories coming from protein; the other
two had "average" levels (15 percent of calories from
protein), the study said.

6. The amount of fat in the diets also varied -- with two
having relatively low amounts (20 percent of daily
calories), and two were high-fat (40 percent of calories),
the researchers said.
When it came to weight loss, all of the diets were
similarly effective -- helping people shed an average of 8
to 10 pounds. And differences in vitamin D-related
genes showed no influence on people's weight loss
overall. Genes did seem to matter, however, when it
came to improvements in insulin, Qi said.

7. The gene that stood out is known as DHCR7, and it helps
the body synthesize vitamin D, the researchers said.
Most of the study participants had at least one copy of
the "T" variant of that gene -- which boosts blood levels
of vitamin D, the study revealed. And those people
tended to show greater improvements in insulin levels
on the higher-protein diet, versus the average-protein
diet.
They also responded better to the higher-protein plan
compared with people who did not carry the "T" variant,
the study found.

8. It's not clear why, according to Qi. But, he said, some
high-protein foods -- such as certain fish and fortified
dairy products -- are good sources of vitamin D. And it's
possible that people with the "T" variant derive more
vitamin D from those foods, versus people without the
variant. Higher vitamin D levels, in turn, might improve
people's insulin sensitivity, Qi said.
It's not clear, however, whether that's the case. One
limitation of the study, Qi said, is that the researchers
did not measure dieters' blood levels of vitamin D.

9. What's more, the study says nothing about the ultimate
impact of a higher-protein diet on people's long-term
health. "Overall, the effects of the different diets on
weight loss were similar," Qi said.
"I do think it's the overall diet pattern that matters most
-- not a single nutrient. People should eat a balanced diet
and get regular exercise." Dr. Maria Pena, a weight
management specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New
York City, agreed.

10. "At this point, we can say that eating a balanced diet --
high-quality proteins, healthy fats and fiber-rich carbs,
rather than processed carbs -- is the most important
thing," said Pena, who was not involved in the study.
She pointed out that the "high-protein" diets in this
study actually contained moderate amounts. "You really
should get around 25 percent of your calories from
protein," Pena said. "It's just that most people don't."

11. She also recommended that people make sure they get
the recommended amounts of vitamin D, either from
food or a multivitamin. The daily recommendation for
vitamin D varies slightly with age.
However for most people, the U.S. government advises
600 international units a day. As for the gene findings,
Pena said, that information is not practically useful right
now. But in the future it could be, she added.
Researchers do hope to one day tailor diet plans to
better fit people's genetic profiles, Pena said.