Macro partitioning
Substituting 5% of energy from carbohydrates or fat with protein increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 30%, regardless of whether the displaced macronutrient is fat or carbs.
If you are trying to prevent diabetes, simply swapping carbohydrates for protein (e.g., eating more meat instead of bread) may actually increase your risk. The study suggests that the increase in protein itself, rather than the decrease in carbs or fat, drives this risk. Balance your protein intake rather than maximizing it at the expense of other macros.
Consuming 5 energy % from protein at the expense of 5 energy % from carbohydrates or fat increased diabetes risk by ~30%.
Why this rating
Prospective cohort with robust statistical modeling for isocaloric substitution.
Source
Dietary Intake of Total, Animal, and Vegetable Protein and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-NL Study
Ivonne Sluijs et al. · Diabetes Care · 2009
DOI 10.2337/dc09-1321
More from this paper
- High intake of total and animal protein is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas vegetable protein intake shows no such association.Good
- The association between high protein intake and diabetes risk is significantly modified by adiposity, being stronger in lean individuals and attenuated or non-significant in obese individuals.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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