Milk proteins may help control diabetes

Proteins from milk may combat and reduce the risk of developing Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease, type 2 diabetes.

Professor Phillip Newsholme, Head of Curtin University’s School of Biomedical Sciences and leader of the project, said the research had a number of implications for those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes insulin, but it is not produced in the amount your body needs and it does not work effectively,” he said.

“Our study demonstrates how consumption of a protein found in milk called whey – a highly digestible source of protein found in many dairy products and a by-product of cheese making – impacts positively on the pancreatic cells, helping them to release more insulin.

“This in turn helps to regulate blood glucose levels and could aid in the management of type 2 diabetes.”

Previous studies have shown that consumption of milk reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes but the mechanism was unknown.

The findings, featured in the July issue of the Journal of Nutrition, involved tests on cells in culture and an eight-week study in mice.

The researchers treated intestinal and pancreatic cells with a mixture of intact or partially digested proteins isolated from the whey fraction of milk. Cultured intestinal cells were used to determine if these whey-derived mixtures could be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.

In another trial pancreatic cells were used to test whether exposure to the whey protein fragments triggers insulin release. Insulin is the hormone that helps the body clear excess glucose from the bloodstream and is lacking in diabetics.

Finally, lean and genetically obese mice were fed either a control diet or one fortified with the whey fragments for eight weeks to determine whether this would impact the animals’ ability to regulate circulating glucose.

Dr Newsholme said diabetes is the inability of the body to adequately control blood glucose levels. The most common form, type 2 diabetes, is associated with a range of related factors such as family history of diabetes, obesity, poor diet, and lack of exercise.

Most diabetes management plans include calorie restriction, weight loss, and exercise. However, this approach is often unsuccessful and other strategies are needed.

Growing evidence suggests that certain food components may help the body regulate blood glucose and, therefore, might be helpful components of a diabetes management regimen.

“The next step, studies in people with diabetes to confirm the results, have already begun in Ireland. However, the initial findings are promising and indicate that whey products, may be useful in type 2 diabetes management,” he said.

Nearly one million Australians have been diagnosed with diabetes. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes rises with age and is higher in men than in women. The total annual cost for Australians with type 2 diabetes is estimated at $6 billion.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the University College of Dublin, the University of Limerick and Teagasc Food Research Centre in County Cork, Ireland.

For those who want to try themselves dried whey powder is available at many health food shops and Perth gyms.

Would you consider drinking more milk to control diabetes? Tell us in the comments below…