According to a recent nutritional study conducted by the German Institute of Human Nutrition in patients with type 2 diabetes, they found that a high-protein diet can reduce liver fat content, reducing liver fat content by up to 48% within 6 weeks. It does not matter whether the diet is based on plant or animal protein. The findings, published in the international academic journal Gastroenterology, suggest that a peptide high-protein diet may help improve fatty liver in diabetic patients.
Several studies worldwide have investigated the effects of high-protein diets on human metabolism. In many studies, scientists have observed beneficial effects of high-protein diets on body weight, liver fat content, lipid levels, long-term blood glucose levels, as well as muscle mass. But some studies have also found that high protein intake can reduce insulin activity and affect kidney function. Because both positive and negative effects of high-protein diets were seen in different studies, researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition asked whether protein source was the determinant. So in this study, they looked at the metabolic effects of two high-protein diets in 37 participants, aged 49 to 78, who had type 2 diabetes and most had fatty livers. The only difference between the two high-protein diets is the source of protein (plant and animal).
To ensure that the weight of the participants remained stable during the study, the researchers adjusted the total number of calories in each diet and randomly assigned participants to one of the high-protein diets. The results showed that all study participants benefited from the high-protein diet, independent of protein source, and no adverse effects of high-protein diet on renal function and glucose metabolism were observed. The most significant reduction was in liver fat content, which fell by more than 50% in half of the participants, along with favorable changes in liver lipid metabolism, improved insulin sensitivity, and a significant decrease in blood levels of FGF21. Previous studies have shown that liver-synthesized FGF21 is able to affect multiple organ tissues, including adipose tissue, especially in overweight and obese individuals, who usually have higher blood FGF21 levels.
The researchers say larger and longer studies are needed to better understand the metabolic mechanisms involved and the long-term metabolic effects of a high-protein diet, as well as to see if younger patients also benefit from the diet.
Overall, the researchers said that taking into account the results of the study and various environmental factors, they were more likely to recommend plant-based foods as a primary source of protein.
