People with type 2 diabetes have to control their diet carefully, and scientists always try to find the best advice for them.
New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham tells us that for people with Type 2 diabetes, the kind of protein in your diet might not be as important as losing weight overall.
Let's find out why.
How it was discovered
A team of scientists studied 106 adults with Type 2 diabetes for a year.
Some followed a diet with lots of protein, including lean beef, while others had a diet with less protein and no red meat.
Surprisingly, both groups did well. They lost weight and improved their blood sugar levels.
In the study, some people ate a lot of lean beef, while others avoided red meat.
The high-protein group had 40% of their calories from protein, and the normal-protein group had 21% from protein.
Both diets had fewer calories than usual, and participants followed an exercise program.
The main points are that both high-protein diets with red meat and normal-protein diets without red meat can help you lose weight and control blood sugar.
Conclusion
So, the most important thing for managing Type 2 diabetes is losing weight, no matter which diet you choose.
Avoiding red meat doesn't make a big difference in weight loss or blood sugar control during a weight loss program.
