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In treating diabetes, postmeal elevation of glucose levels is an important therapeutic target. Existing clinical studies indicate that eating vegetables, protein or fat before carbohydrates can moderate a postmeal rise in blood glucose, pointing to the potential of meal sequencing as a simple and sustainable dietary strategy.

Scientists have often attributed the benefits of this strategy to slower gastric emptying and greater secretion of incretin hormones, such as GLP-1, that decrease blood glucose levels. However, the roles that gut and pancreatic hormones, as well as neural pathways, play in this process have remained less understood.

This motivated an international team of researchers to investigate how the timing of fat intake influences glucose levels, hormone secretion and gastric emptying. Their study is published in the journal Diabetes.

"Our group has long been interested in practical dietary approaches that people can continue in everyday life," says corresponding author Daisuke Yabe of Kyoto University. "Meal sequencing is appealing because it merely changes how a meal is eaten rather than requiring people to avoid entire food groups."

The team used mice in their investigation, first having them fast overnight. The mice were then divided into three groups: one received water followed by glucose, another received olive oil followed by glucose 15 minutes later, and the final group received glucose followed by olive oil 15 minutes later.

After feeding the mice accordingly, the researchers measured blood glucose, plasma insulin, glucagon, GIP and GLP-1 levels.

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