Including a probiotic drink in your diet could help prevent insulin resistance, a major characteristic of diet-induced diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Excessive consumption of high-fat foods can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. "We are already aware that excessive consumption of high-fat foods, even for a short period, can lead to the development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes," said Carl Hulston from the Loughborough University. "Therefore the demonstration by this study that a probiotic has the potential to prevent insulin resistance in humans is a significant breakthrough," Hulston noted. For the study, 17 healthy individuals were split into two groups. Both maintained their habitual food intake for the first three weeks of the study. One of the groups also consumed two bottles of a probiotic fermented milk drink every day. During the fourth week, both groups were given a high-fat and high-energy diet. The probiotic intake was continued for the same group during this week. High-fat overfeeding for seven days decreased insulin sensitivity by approximately 27 percent in the participants, the findings showed. But the group that consumed the probiotic drink preserved their glycaemic control and maintained insulin action. The results provide further indirect evidence that changes in the gut microbiota are involved in the development of human metabolic disease. The study appeared online in the British Journal of Nutrition.
