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Helping Diabetic Patients
Michael Jakoby, M.D., M.A., and Donald Layman, Ph.D.
Dr. Layman and Dr. Jakoby have
established a study to examine the
health benefits of high-protein diets
for Type 2 diabetes patients.
The connection between good nutrition and good health is
no secret, but unlocking the mystery of which foods provide
the greatest health benefits for each person requires a
special partnership.
Donald Layman, Ph.D., professor of nutrition, and Michael
Jakoby, M.D., M.A., clinical assistant professor of internal
medicine, provide the expertise to establish such connections.
And their collaboration looks to shed light on the health
benefits of protein-rich diets for diabetic patients.
Dr. Layman’s recent research has focused on how and why
eating more high-quality protein aids weight loss. His findings
suggest that such a diet increases the amount of leucine, an
amino acid, in the diet, which is important for maintaining
muscle mass and reducing body fat during weight loss. In
addition, he found that a high-protein diet resulted in more
stable glucose levels, reduced insulin response following meals,
and decreased triglyceride levels in study participants – all of
which have important implications not just for weight loss
patients but for diabetic patients as well.
And that’s where the collaboration comes in. Dr. Layman and
Dr. Jakoby have established a study to examine the health
benefits of such a high-protein diet for Type 2 diabetes
patients. “In this type of study, subjects need physician
supervision because diet changes may also require changes
in medications,” says Dr. Layman. “As a clinician, Dr. Jakoby
brings the expertise of the endocrinologist as well as the
direct patient contact that is essential for this research.”
Initial findings of their study look promising. “On a highcarbohydrate
diet, the body’s levels of glucose and insulin
swing dramatically,” Layman says. “On a high-protein diet,
blood sugar levels tend to be more constant because amino
acids stimulate the body to make its own glucose. The body
makes glucose from protein to use as energy, but it does it
slowly throughout the day. It is a continuous process. The
demands on insulin are much less after a meal with a lower
ratio of carbohydrate to protein.”
Dr. Jakoby sees from his patients how this research theory
works in practice. “The blood glucose control of study
participants has improved significantly. Self-monitored
blood glucose levels have fallen into the range considered
desirable by the American Diabetes Association.”
6 T h e P o w e r o f C o l l a b o r a t i o n