New research shows that some of us are hungry all the time

New research shows that people who experience a drop in blood sugar a few hours after eating end up feeling hungry and consume hundreds more calories during the day than others.

A study published today in Natural metabolism, from PREDICT, the largest ongoing nutrition research program in the world looking at responses to food in real life, the research team at King’s College London and the health science company ZOE (including scientists from Harvard Medical School, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Nottingham, Leeds University and Lund University in Sweden) found why some people struggle to lose weight, even on calorie-controlled diets, and stressed the importance of understanding personal metabolism when it comes to diet and health.

The research team collected detailed data on blood sugar reactions and other health markers from 1,070 people after eating standardized breakfasts and free meals over a two-week period, adding more than 8,000 breakfasts and 70,000 meals in total. The standard breakfasts were based on muffins that contained the same amount of calories, but in terms of composition in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, fat and fiber. Participants also performed a solid blood sugar response test (oral glucose tolerance test) to measure how well their body processes sugar.

Participants wore continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to measure their blood sugar levels throughout the duration of the study, as well as a portable device to monitor activity and sleep. They also recorded levels of hunger and alertness using a telephone program, exactly when and what they ate during the day.

Previous studies looking at blood sugar after meals have focused on the way levels rise and fall in the first two hours after a meal, known as a blood sugar peak. After analyzing the data, however, the PREDICT team noted that some people experienced significant ‘sugar falls’ 2-4 hours after this initial peak, where their blood sugar levels dropped rapidly below baseline before re-emerging.

Large dippers had a 9% increase in hunger and waited on average about half an hour less before their next meal than small dippers, even though they ate exactly the same meals.

Large mowers also ate 75 more calories during the 3-4 hours after breakfast and about 312 calories more than the entire day. This type of pattern can turn into 20 pounds of weight gain over a year.

Dr Sarah Berry of King’s College London said: “Blood sugar levels have long been thought to play a key role in controlling hunger, but the results of previous studies have been unconvincing. We have now shown that sugar dips are a better predictor. “is from hunger and subsequent calorie intake as the initial response to the blood sugar peak after eating, which changes how we think about the relationship between blood sugar levels and the food we eat.”

Professor Ana Valdes of the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, who led the leadership team, said: ‘Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and only a few hundred extra calories can a day. few kilograms of weight gain more than a year. Our discovery that the size of sugar decreases after eating has such a huge impact on hunger and appetite is a great potential to help people understand and control their weight and long-term health. “

Comparing what happens when participants eat the same test meals has shown large variations in the blood sugar response between people. The researchers also found no correlation between age, body weight or BMI and a large or small immersion, although males on average had slightly larger declines than females.

There was also some variability in the size of the dips that each person experiences in response to eating the same meals on different days, indicating that you are an immerser or not, depending on individual differences in metabolism, as well. as the daily -day effects of meals and activity levels.

Choosing foods that work with your unique biology can make people feel fuller for longer and eat less.

The study’s lead author, Patrick Wyatt of ZOE, notes: “This study demonstrates how wearable technology can provide valuable insights into helping people understand their unique biology and control their nutrition and health. By emphasizing the importance of to show sugar traps, our study paves the way for data-driven, personalized guidance for those who want to manage their hunger and calorie intake in a way that works rather than against their body. “

Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of ZOE, concludes: “Food is complicated and people are complex, but our research is finally starting to open the black box between diet and health. Excited that they are this cutting-edge science turned into a home nutrition and microbiome test so that everyone has the opportunity to discover their unique reactions to food to best support their metabolism and gut health. ‘