People who experience big dips in blood sugar levels, several hours after eating, end up feeling hungrier and consuming hundreds more calories during the day than others, according to experts.
These are the latest findings from PREDICT, the largest ongoing nutritional research program in the world, looking at responses to food in real life settings.
The study, which is published in Nature Metabolism, was carried out by Health Science company ZOE, which comprises a group of scientists, led by Professor Ana Valdes from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham.
The group of researchers (also including scientists from Harvard Medical School, King’s College London, Leeds University, and Lund University in Sweden), found why some people struggle to lose weight, even on calorie-controlled diets, and highlights the importance of understanding personal metabolism when it comes to diet and health.
More than 1,000 people took part in the study, which gathered detailed data about blood sugar responses and hunger after eating standardized and free-choice meals over two weeks.
Researchers found big variations between individuals in how their blood sugar levels respond to various foods.People whose blood sugar levels dip significantly 2-4 hours after eating (‘big dippers’) are more likely to feel hungry sooner and consume an average of around 300 more calories over the course of the day than people with the smallest dips (‘little dippers’).
Whether you’re a big or little dipper is likely to be a combination of your unique biology, meal choices and activity levels and understanding your personal metabolism and choosing foods that reduce the likelihood of having big dips could help to control hunger and body weight in the long term.
Professor Ana Valdes from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, who led the study team, said: “Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and just a few hundred extra calories every day can add up to several pounds of weight gain over a year. Our discovery that the size of sugar dips after eating has such a big impact on hunger and appetite has great potential for helping people understand and control their weight and long-term health.”
