Adding protein to breakfast could reduce glucose spikes in children with Type 1 diabetes

Breakfast cereals and other carbohydrate-rich foods can often cause sharp glucose rises that are difficult to control, even with carefully calculated insulin doses. But now, researchers at the University of Stirling have found that a relatively simple dietary change could make a noticeable difference and it doesn’t mean giving up those favourite breakfast foods! 

Adding a food containing around 10g of protein to a high-glycaemic-load breakfast reduced post-meal glucose levels in children and young people with type 1 diabetes, resulting in around an extra 32 minutes in range.

Using CGM data for research

The study involved 25 children and teenagers aged five to 17, recruited from 13 diabetes centres across the UK. Researchers used CGM data to compare glucose responses during the three hours following different breakfasts.

When participants ate a high-glycaemic-load breakfast without additional protein, their average glucose level was 9.5 mmol/L. Adding a protein-containing food reduced this to 8.0 mmol/L, while the average peak glucose rise fell from 6.4 mmol/L to 4.2 mmol/L.

Most striking was that participants spent an average of 132 minutes in their target range, compared with just 100 minutes following breakfast without the additional protein. That's an extra 32 minutes in range over a three-hour period, simply from changing the composition of breakfast.

Eggs, cheese or meat rather than changing cereals

Participants could choose from protein-containing foods including eggs, cheese and meat, or combinations of these, alongside their usual carbohydrate-rich breakfast.

The researchers found that adding these foods produced a glucose response comparable to eating a lower-glycaemic-index breakfast. This suggests that children and teenagers may not necessarily need to abandon their preferred breakfast cereals to improve their post-meal glucose control.

However, the researchers caution that the improvement cannot be attributed to protein alone. The additional foods also contained fat, which can influence digestion and glucose absorption. The study therefore examined the effects of adding protein-containing foods, rather than isolated protein. Future research will also explore whether less processed, lower-fat and lower-salt protein options can deliver similar benefits.

What does 10g of protein look like?

You don't necessarily need specialist protein products. Here are some everyday foods that provide approximately 10g of protein.

Not all these were trialled in the research.

What about hypos and delayed glucose rises?

The researchers found no significant difference in the number of hypos between the different breakfasts, and no evidence of delayed highs during the three-hour monitoring period.

However, the study only monitored participants for three hours, so later increases in glucose can’t be ruled out, particularly as the effects of fat and protein on glucose levels are known to lead to delayed rises several hours after eating.

The findings are also based on a relatively small group of 25 young people. Larger studies, including longer CGM monitoring periods, will be needed to establish whether the benefits persist and how different protein-containing foods affect glucose levels.

The research offers an interesting possibility for families managing type 1 diabetes: improving breakfast glucose control may be as much about what is added to a meal as what is taken away. Individual responses will of course vary, and any changes to insulin dosing would still need to take account of the meal and the person's usual treatment.

Source: University of Stirling, 20 August 2026. Breakfast change could help young people with Type 1 Diabetes.

Published study: Protein-Containing Breakfasts Are Associated with Reduced Postprandial Glycaemic Excursions in Children and Young People with Type 1 Diabetes: A Pragmatic Study, Nutrients, 2026.

About the editor

Samantha is editor of Libre Life and founder of Love My Libre. She writes about diabetes medtech, CGM wear, hybrid-closed loop systems and practical real-world device use.