A study from The University of Texas at Austin shows that consuming ultra-processed foods can lead to higher blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, emphasizing the importance of diet quality in managing the condition.
Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have unveiled a groundbreaking study revealing that consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as diet sodas, packaged snacks and certain cereals and yogurts, is associated with higher blood sugar levels in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, demonstrates that the degree of food processing, rather than just sugar and salt content, plays a crucial role in blood glucose control. The research indicates that people with diets high in ultra-processed foods exhibit higher HbA1C levels, a measure of average blood glucose over several months.
“There are a lot of ways to look at and measure healthy eating,” senior author Marissa Burgermaster, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at UT Austin, said in a news release. “We set out to see which measurement was associated with blood sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes. We found that the more ultra-processed foods by weight in a person’s diet, the worse their blood sugar control was, and the more minimally processed or unprocessed foods in a person’s diet, the better their control was.”
The study utilized baseline data from the ongoing TX STRIDE clinical trial, overseen by Mary Steinhardt in UT Austin’s College of Education.
The researchers analyzed diet recalls and blood samples from 273 African American adults diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The analysis revealed that participants who consumed more ultra-processed foods had poorer blood sugar control, while those who ate more whole or minimally processed foods showed better control.
The findings suggest that synthetic flavors, artificial colors, emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners found in ultra-processed foods might be significant contributors to these adverse effects.
Erin Hudson, a graduate student involved in the study, hypothesized that these additives, rather than just sugar and sodium, could be influencing the participants’ glycemic control.
Importantly, even a small change in diet composition seemed to have a measurable impact. Participants not on insulin therapy who increased their intake of ultra-processed foods by 10% saw an average HbA1C increase of 0.28 percentage points. Conversely, those who consumed 10% more minimally processed foods showed a 0.30 percentage point decrease in HbA1C levels.
The study’s authors advocate for re-evaluating dietary guidelines to put more emphasis on reducing ultra-processed food consumption. With recent studies linking these foods to various health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression and early death, it’s clear that the implications of this research extend beyond diabetes management.
This research underscores the critical need to focus on diet quality in managing Type 2 diabetes. As rates of the disease continue to climb, insights like these could help to inform better dietary recommendations and public health strategies.