Comparative Analysis of Zero-Carbohydrate versus Balanced Breakfast on Mitigating the Dawn Phenomenon in Diabetes Patients

Abstract

A common problem for several Diabetic Patients is an early-morning rise in blood sugar levels known as the “Dawn Phenomenon”. Due to the high sugar levels, Diabetic patients often minimize or eliminate all carbohydrates from their breakfast thereby eating an unbalanced meal that is generally not recommended. This research compares the impact on blood sugar levels between a zero-carbohydrate breakfast and a balanced breakfast with healthy carbohydrates. The dawn phenomenon is caused due to the release of sugars from the liver in the morning. Type 2 Diabetics have lower insulin-producing capabilities or higher insulin resistance which leads to high glucose levels in the morning even in the absence of food or carbohydrates. This study examined if additional insulin triggered by dietary intake of carbohydrates would reduce the dawn phenomenon. The hypothesis was that introducing healthy simple carbohydrates in the breakfast would trigger the release of additional insulin, reducing blood sugar levels compared to a zero-carbohydrate breakfast. A diabetic patient experiencing the dawn phenomenon recorded the average 6-hour morning blood sugar levels for two different types of breakfasts: a zero-carbohydrate baseline control and a balanced breakfast that included carbohydrates. The balanced breakfast led to a 1.5% reduction in estimated A1C, a widely used measure of diabetes. Though not a significant reduction and within the tolerance of error, the results indicate that patients do not have to sacrifice eating balanced breakfasts which is a significant benefit for Diabetic patients.