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Introduction
There has been interest in, and debate about, how protein intake impacts metabolic health, particularly in relation to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk.
Recently, there has been interest in higher protein intakes as an intervention in diabetes, owing to a variety of potential mechanisms. For example, the satiety value of protein, the promotion of insulin secretion by protein, and impacts on incretin hormones.
However, others have warned against high protein intakes. With some going as far as to claim high, or even moderate, protein intakes can lead to insulin resistance or negatively affect beta-cell function.
In this episode, we look at the research typically cited in support of such claims, and dig into the details. We consider the overall evidence in this area to answer the question ‘do high protein diets cause insulin resistance or increase diabetes risk?’.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- Become a member of Alan Flanagan’s Alinea Nutrition Education Hub
- Further reading:
- Smith et al., 2016 – High-Protein Intake during Weight Loss Therapy Eliminates the Weight-Loss-Induced Improvement in Insulin Action in Obese Postmenopausal Women
- Sluijs et al., 2010 – Dietary intake of total, animal, and vegetable protein and risk of type 2 diabetes in the EPIC-NL study
- Krebs et al., 2002 – Mechanism of amino acid-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance in humans
- Rietman et al., 2014 – High dietary protein intake, reducing or eliciting insulin resistance?
- Why is Protein a Topic of Debate in Diabetes?
- Potential Benefits of Higher Protein Intakes in Diabetes Treatment & Management
- Habitual Protein Intake & Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- High-Protein Eliminates Improvements Caused by Weight Loss
- Protein Pre-Load
The Hosts
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Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Introduction to this Episode
There has been interest in, and debate about, how protein intake impacts metabolic health, particularly in relation to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk.
Recently, there has been interest in higher protein intakes as an intervention in diabetes, owing to a variety of potential mechanisms.
For example, the satiety value of protein, the promotion of insulin secretion by protein, and impacts of incretin hormones.
However, others have warned against high protein intakes. With some going as far as to claim high, or even moderate, protein intakes can lead to insulin resistance or negatively affect beta-cell function.
In this episode, we look at the research typically cited in support of such claims, and dig into the details. We consider the overall evidence in this area to answer the question ʻdo high protein diets cause insulin resistance or increase diabetes risk?ʼ.
Connection to Previous Episodes
#294: Nicola Guess, PhD, RD – Prediabetes & Type 2 Diabetes Nutrition
- In this episode, diabetes research Nicola Guess discussed a whole host of topics, including:
- The relationship between insulin resistance and decline in beta-cell function
- Evidence on nutritional interventions such as carbohydrate restriction and fasting
- You can find the episode page here.
