Effect of Meal Frequency on Glycemic Control of People at High Risk or Diagnosed With Diabetes

Meropi Kontogianni

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hyperinsulinism; Impaired Glucose Tolerance; Poor Glycemic Control; Hyperglycemia; Insulin Sensitivity

Treatments: Other: Isocaloric diet with 3 meals; Other: Isocaloric diet with 6 meals

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02248272

HUA (Other Identifier)

8062 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigated any potential associations between two isocaloric diets with different meal frequency (3 meals versus 6 meals) and glycemic control in people at high diabetes risk (lean and overweight/obese women with PCOS, individuals with hyperinsulinemia, individuals with impaired glucose tolerance) and diagnosed with diabetes.

Full description

The effect of meal frequency on diabetes risk markers (e.g. glucose and insulin metabolism) has been studied in several studies so far, both in healthy individuals and in individuals being at risk for diabetes mellitus, with or without concurrent weight loss. In addition, few studies have investigated the effect of different meal frequency on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus under conditions of weight maintenance. However, the results regarding the ideal number of meals remain controversial.

To our best knowledge, there is no study available that has investigated the effect of meal frequency on glucose and insulin metabolism in lean and obese women with PCOS, in lean and obese individuals with hyperinsulinemia and impaired glucose tolerance, and in obese individuals with type 2 diabetes, independently of weight loss.

Enrollment: 110 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• The presence of type 2 diabetes was defined according to the current diagnostic criteria: (a) HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, (b) fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l). (c) 2-h plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), using a glucose load containing the equivalent of 75 g anhydrous glucose dissolved in water, or (d) a random plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) in patients with classic symptoms of hyperglycemia or hyperglycemic crisis.
• PCOS was defined according to the Rotterdam criteria (Rotterdam 2004) which include the presence of two or more of the following features: chronic oligoovulation or anovulation (fewer than six menstrual periods in the previous year), androgen excess (serum total testosterone >70 mg/dl) and polycystic ovaries.

Exclusion criteria

• Insulin sensitizers, i.e. metformin, contraceptives, steroids or any medications known to affect glucose, insulin or reproductive hormones for at least the last 6 months.
• Serious health problems like cardiovascular, liver or kidney diseases.
• Volunteers who were on diet, using medications affecting body mass or who had experienced a change in body weight ≥ 4.5 kg or a change in physical activity within the 6 months preceding the study onset were excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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110 participants in 3 patient groups

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Experimental group

Description:

40 women with PCOS followed one of two isocaloric weight maintenance diets (isocaloric diet with 3 meals or isocaloric diet with 6 meals), tailored to individual energy needs, with the same macronutrient composition (40% carbohydrates, 25% protein, 35% fat). The energy and carbohydrate contribution for the 3 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 50% at lunch, 30% at dinner, whereas for the 6 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 10% at morning snack, 30% at lunch, 10% at afternoon snack, 20% at dinner, 10% at before bedtime snack. Each intervention lasted 12 weeks and there was no wash out period.

Treatment:

Other: Isocaloric diet with 6 meals

Other: Isocaloric diet with 3 meals

Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Experimental group

Description:

35 individuals with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) followed one of two isocaloric weight maintenance diets (isocaloric diet with 3 meals or isocaloric diet with 6 meals), tailored to individual energy needs, with the same macronutrient composition (45% carbohydrates, 20% protein, 35% fat). The energy and carbohydrate contribution for the 3 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 50% at lunch, 30% at dinner, whereas for the 6 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 10% at morning snack, 30% at lunch, 10% at afternoon snack, 20% at dinner, 10% at before bedtime snack. Each intervention lasted 12 weeks and there was no wash out period.

Treatment:

Other: Isocaloric diet with 6 meals

Other: Isocaloric diet with 3 meals

Type 2 Diabetes

Experimental group

Description:

12 individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes followed one of two isocaloric weight maintenance diets (isocaloric diet with 3 meals or isocaloric diet with 6 meals), tailored to individual energy needs, with the same macronutrient composition (45% carbohydrates, 20% protein, 35% fat). The energy and carbohydrate contribution for the 3 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 50% at lunch, 30% at dinner, whereas for the 6 meals' diet was 20% at breakfast, 10% at morning snack, 30% at lunch, 10% at afternoon snack, 20% at dinner, 10% at before bedtime snack. Each intervention lasted 12 weeks and there was no wash out period.

Treatment:

Other: Isocaloric diet with 6 meals

Other: Isocaloric diet with 3 meals