Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered that the production of insulin, a hormone crucial for regulating blood sugar levels, varies significantly among individuals in response to different macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The study, published in Cell Metabolism, is the first large-scale comparison of insulin production in response to each of these nutrients.
The research, conducted on pancreatic islets from 140 deceased donors, revealed that while most islet cells had the strongest insulin response to carbohydrates, approximately 9% responded strongly to proteins, and another 8% were more responsive to fats than any other nutrient, even glucose. This challenges the long-held belief that fats have negligible effects on insulin release in everyone.
The findings suggest that understanding a person’s individual drivers of insulin production could lead to tailored dietary guidance, potentially helping people better manage their blood sugar and insulin levels. The team also found that islet cells from donors with type 2 diabetes had a low insulin response to glucose but a largely intact response to proteins, indicating that protein-rich diets could have therapeutic benefits for these patients.
The researchers plan to conduct clinical studies to test insulin responsiveness to the trio of macronutrients in a real-world setting and to develop personalized nutrition approaches based on their findings. In the future, genetic testing might be used to determine which macronutrients are likely to trigger a person’s insulin response.
