Type 2 diabetics should follow the same guidelines as the general public regarding protein intake --- provided you don't have any heart- or kidney-related diabetic complications. Protein is an essential component of your diet, and you should discuss your medical nutritional therapy with your health care provider. Also, know that protein can come from a variety of sources. In addition to lean meats, fish and shellfish, many vegetables, nuts and seeds contain protein. By eating from different protein sources, you may be able to cut out much of the saturated fat associated with eating meat as your sole protein source.
Consume by General Guidelines
In a 2008 position statement, the American Diabetes Association declared that diabetics with normal kidney function can consume the same amount of protein as the general public. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans says most adults should consume between 10 and 35 percent of their daily calories from protein sources. According to the Institute of Medicine, this works out to roughly 56 g per day for men and 46 g for women. Good quality sources of protein, says the American Diabetes Association, have a high PDCAAS, or protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scoring pattern. In other words, the proteins are composed of all nine essential amino acids. The association says meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and soy meet this recommendation.
Not for Nighttime Hypoglycemic Episodes
Although protein does not greatly affect blood sugar levels, it can increase your insulin response if you have Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, if your blood sugar tends to dip at night or any time you experience hypoglycemia, you shouldn't use a protein to treat it.
Avoid High-Protein Diets
The American Diabetes Association says that even though small, short-term studies suggested that low-carb, high-protein diets help diabetics consume fewer calories, reduce blood sugar and insulin concentrations and reduces appetite, it does not endorse diabetics using high-protein diets. The long-term evidence for their safety and effectiveness simply isn't there yet. In addition, the association says it remains unknown how high-protein diets affect kidney functioning of people with diabetes.
Protein Intake with Diabetic Complications
Progression of diabetes complications are normally managed by strict attention to blood sugar, weight and blood pressure. However, the American Diabetes Association says reducing protein intake might also help. Although normal protein intake does not cause kidney-related complications, you might be able to "favorably influence" and slow down a decline in kidney functioning by reducing your total protein intake. The association sets the intake level to between 0.8 g to 1 g per 1 kg of body weight, and then down to 0.8 g per 1 kg of body weight if you are in the later stages of kidney disease. Your doctor or nutritionist can tell you precisely how much protein you should consume if you have diabetic complications.
References
- "Diabetes Care"; Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes; American Diabetes Association; January 2008
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
- American Diabetes Association: Kidney Disease
- Institute of Medicine; Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients; 2005
