Changes in Insulin Resistance Following Short-Term Dietary Modification in Adults With Prediabetes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61336/jdme.0502.01Keywords:
Prediabetes, dietary modification, insulin resistance, HOMA-IR, insulin sensitivity, dietary fiberAbstract
Dietary modification is a central component of diabetes prevention, although the metabolic response to relatively short-term dietary changes among adults with prediabetes remains variable. This study evaluated changes in insulin resistance following a 12-week structured dietary modification program in adults with prediabetes. A prospective intervention study was conducted among 164 adults aged 35–70 years with impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or HbA1c within the prediabetes range. Participants received individualized dietary counseling focused on reducing refined carbohydrates and added sugars, increasing dietary fiber, improving unsaturated-to-saturated fat balance, and distributing carbohydrate intake more consistently across meals. Anthropometric measurements, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, lipid parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Insulin resistance was estimated using HOMA-IR, while QUICKI was used as an additional measure of insulin sensitivity. After 12 weeks, participants demonstrated significant reductions in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, and waist circumference, accompanied by an increase in estimated insulin sensitivity. The magnitude of improvement in HOMA-IR was greater among participants with higher adherence to the dietary program. Reduction in added sugar intake and increased dietary fiber intake were independently associated with improvement in insulin resistance after adjustment for age, sex, baseline BMI, physical activity, and weight change. Participants achieving high dietary adherence had approximately 2.8-fold greater odds of achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in insulin resistance compared with participants with lower adherence. These findings suggest that structured dietary modification over a relatively short period may improve insulin sensitivity in adults with prediabetes, even when changes in body weight are modest.
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