Graze or Gorge?

By Quinn Phillips Eating several small meals throughout the day, rather than three larger ones — sometimes referred to as grazing — has often been touted as a way to lose weight. In theory, eating in a way that results in a steadier stream of nutrients in the bloodstream could have several positive effects. Past studies have, in fact, found that grazing can lead to lower levels of insulin in people without diabetes as well as lower blood levels of cholesterol. But when it comes to weight loss in people with diabetes, a new study suggests than grazing may not be all that it's cracked up to be. The study, presented at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions late last month in Chicago, looked at 54 adults with Type 2 diabetes over 12 weeks. According to an article at NBC News (the study is not yet published), each participant was assigned to a meal plan that cut his or her daily caloric intake by 500 calories. Some participants, though, had this food spread over six small meals, while others received only two larger meals each day: breakfast and lunch. At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups had lost weight. But the two-meal group had lost more weight than the six-meal group, as measured by body-mass index (BMI). While the average drop in BMI in the two-meal group was 1.23 points, it was only 0.82 points in the six-meal group. Of course, weight loss achieved within the controlled setting of a study does not always translate into weight loss in real li...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs