Quinoa Protein Supplementation as a Novel Dietotherapy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder that affects the cardiovascular and urinary systems and characterized by high blood sugar levels. Current treatments have side effects and demand strict dietary control and exercise. Moreover, complications like diabetic nephropathy remain a major concern. In this study, we sought for a new dietotherapy for T2DM. Dietotherapy, a branch of dietetics concerned with therapeutic uses of food and diet, is receiving increasing attention in recent years due to food's dual roles in health and medical care. This study explores the potential of quinoa protein as a novel food-based approach for T2DM management and prevention. Chenopodium quinoa, known as the "superfood" or "golden grain," contains bioactive peptides with potential health benefits for metabolic disorders. However, its role on T2DM is not fully understood. This research investigates quinoa protein supplementation's anti-diabetic potential using physiological, histological, and cytological methods with C57BL/6 male mice and db/db diabetic mutants as animal models. This study provides evidence for the significant improvements that quinoa protein supplementation has on weight and glycemic control in both diabetic and healthy mice, offering restored peripheral insulin sensitivity as a biologically plausible explanation. Quinoa protein supplementation on mice also improved their kidney architecture, increased the number of glomeruli, and enhanced renal regularity, suggesting a protection against diabetic nephropathy. In short, this study revealed the potential of quinoa protein in weight loss, glucose control, and kidney protection. Scientific evidence are provided for further development of quinoa protein, which has a practical significance.