Healthy diet depends on the individual

Scientific study: French fries better than salad?

According to a new scientific study, something deep fried and carby might be the best option next time you're cruising past the drive-through, and it has nothing, or at least not much, to do with outrageous ratios of lettuce-to-ranch dressing.

Research led by Professor Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute in Israel, reached this conclusion after monitoring the rise of blood sugar levels among 800 different people who consumed identical meals. They also tracked physical activity, sleep habits, and bathroom activity. What they found was that people's bodies react very differently to the exact same foods, states the report on Cell. What causes a sharp glucose spike in one person might do nothing to an individual who can eat an entire serving of fries with no adverse glycemic response.

In one sample, one participant's blood sugar levels spiked after eating bananas but not after eating cookies, while another participant experienced the opposite reaction. Other participants experienced a glucose spike after eating sushi but not after eating ice-cream, and vice versa. Reasons for this include their genetic makeup, lifestyle, and their microbiome, an ecosystem of bacteria that triggers a response to food. This suggests that diets built to control blood sugar, therefore curbing diabetes and obesity, should be individually tailored.

"The huge differences that we found in the rise of blood sugar levels among different people who consumed identical meals highlights why personalized eating choices are more likely to help people stay healthy than universal dietary advice," said Professor Segal. He thinks the study shows a need "to develop personal dietary recommendations that can help prevent and treat obesity and diabetes, which are among the most severe epidemics in human history.”

Source: details.com

Publication date: Thu 3 Dec 2015