Research has shown that snacking on fatty foods during the day or night is not the best way to manage type 2 diabetes, and could even lead to what is known as a leaky gut.
The study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, also said that people with diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance who eat meals with high-fat content could trigger bacterial endotoxins to pass through the intestinal wall. This could increase the amount of inflammatory cytokines already implicated in the metabolic condition.
This so-called leaky gut effect could be made worse by eating small amounts of food more often, as it contributes to a build up of the lipopolysaccharide endotoxin in the bloodstream.
The study involved 54 patients with different weight levels, glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Those with diabetes who ate a high-fat meal experienced a significant rise in lipopolysaccharides and impaired glucose tolerance.
Researcher Alison Harte, from the University of Warwick, commented “Our data highlight that these people can be exposed to as much as 126% more circulating lipopolysaccharide after a high-fat meal.”
She added “A continual grazing routine will cumulatively promote their pathogenic condition more rapidly than other individuals’ due to the elevated exposure to endotoxin.”

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