Quinoa Improves Glucose Metabolism and Fluctuation Based on β-Cell Function in Early-Stage Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Study

Jianbo Zhang,1– 5 Riping Cong,1 Lujia Xu,1 Haijiao Liu,1 Wei Wang,1 Yingli Diao,1 Xiaoshuang Hu,6 Kuanxiao Tang1,2 1Department of General Practice, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Geriatrics Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 3Chest Pain Center, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 4Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 5Key Laboratory of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine of Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Surgical Clinic, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kuanxiao Tang, Department of General Practice, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0531-82166120, Fax +86-531-82166844, Email [email protected]: Clinical studies are yet to determine whether quinoa improves metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: Sixty patients with early-stage T2DM were randomly assigned to the quinoa diet (QD) or regular diet (RD) groups. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) and dynamic blood glucose monitoring were performed before and after the intervention.Results: Ninety-seven percent of patients adhered to the dietary intervention plan involving quinoa. In addition to postprandial blood glucose and cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, triglycerides, and insulin resistance decreased in the QD group. The reductions in postprandial blood glucose (4.57 ± 2.7 mmol/L vs 2.2 ± 2.8 mmol/L, P < 0.001) and glycosylated haemoglobin (0.86 ± 0.24 vs 0.28 ± 0.23, P =0.042) as well as the increase in the time in range (94.52 ± 4.88% vs 87.83 ± 9.9%, P < 0.05) were more pronounced in the QD group. The QD group achieved a higher rate of medication reduction or withdrawal (28.6% vs 7.1%, P =0.036). Multivariate analysis indicated that HOMA-β and quinoa consumption were the primary risk factors.Conclusion: β-cell function is the key factor influencing quinoa’s ability to improve metabolism and achieve diabetes remission in patients with early-stage T2DM.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, quinoa dietary intervention, glycolipid metabolism, glycaemic fluctuations