npj Science of Food: A Spoonful of Vegetable Oil Before a Carb-Rich Meal May Blunt Blood Sugar Spikes

Scientists have found that eating a small portion of leafy vegetables with vegetable oil before a carbohydrate-rich meal may help reduce the subsequent spike in blood sugar and insulin levels. The findings were published in the journal npj Science of Food.

The experiment involved 22 healthy men with normal body weight. Participants were given mashed potatoes after different types of “preloads”: oil alone, spinach alone, spinach with canola oil, or no food beforehand. In one of the trial conditions, the vegetables and potatoes were consumed simultaneously.

The most stable glucose and insulin responses were observed when participants ate spinach with oil or oil alone before the potatoes. The researchers found that oil increased levels of GLP-1, a hormone involved in blood sugar regulation and digestion, and also slowed gastric emptying.

In the main experiment, the researchers identified 10 minutes as the optimal interval between eating the vegetables with oil and consuming the carbohydrate-rich food. A pilot study showed an effect with intervals ranging from 5 to 20 minutes.

However, participants did not report a noticeable increase in feelings of fullness, and the amount of food they consumed after the experiment did not differ significantly between the groups.

The researchers emphasize that the study was small and included only healthy men of Chinese ethnicity. Further research is needed to determine the optimal amount of oil and to establish whether the effect is also seen in people with diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic conditions.

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