High blood sugar levels are a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Doctors today have only general dietary recommendations for how to control those levels, because there’s no real way to predict what’s called the post-prandial glycemic response—that is, just how your particular blood glucose level will be affected by what you eat. But a new study may be the start of making glucose-controlling food recommendations more personal.  

Scientists in Israel followed 800 nondiabetic adults over one week, checking their blood glucose levels every five minutes. The participants got a full medical workup, including a stool sample to analyze their gut microbiome.

The participants logged the food they ate, their exercise and their sleep. They chose their own food except for one meal a day, which was one of four standardized options.

The result? “The blood sugar response of different people to identical meals can be hugely different.” Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Segal and his colleagues found that one person’s blood glucose might spike in response to a particular food, while that same food would actually lower another person’s. The study is in the journal Cell. [David Zeevi et al, Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses]

The researchers then developed an algorithm that could predict an individual’s blood sugar responses to various meals.

“We link nutrition in a personalized manner to human risk to develop elevated blood sugar levels and their many complications.” Eran Elinav of the Weizzman Institute, who also took part in the study. “As scientists we often deal with very basic questions, but in this work we are very happy to also introduce a potential that if further developed would allow to benefit the health of millions across the world.”

—Cynthia Graber

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]