Combining Two Gut Nutrients Lowers Blood Sugar After Meals in Type 2 Diabetes | Research

The takeaway

Combined intraduodenal delivery of lauric acid and L-tryptophan — individually ineffective at low doses — stimulated GLP-1 and CCK release and reduced postprandial glucose in type 2 diabetes.

Synergistic hormone release
Individually ineffective nutrient doses combined to stimulate GLP-1 and CCK and lower postprandial glucose

What the researchers found

Combined intraduodenal lauric acid and L-tryptophan synergistically stimulated GLP-1/CCK release and reduced postprandial glucose in type 2 diabetes.

Why it matters

This synergistic nutrient approach could inspire non-pharmacological or food-based strategies for blood sugar management using the gut's own hormone release system.

How the study worked

Randomized, double-blind, crossover study with intraduodenal nutrient infusion in type 2 diabetes patients.

What this study cannot tell us

Intraduodenal delivery is not practical for routine use; unclear if oral delivery of these nutrients achieves similar effects; small crossover study.

How to read the evidence

Randomized double-blind crossover study — strong design for proof-of-concept physiological studies, but very small sample and artificial delivery route.

When this study was published

Published 2026 in Diabetologia.

The bigger picture

Harnessing the gut's incretin system through specific nutrient combinations could offer complementary approaches to diabetes management alongside pharmacotherapy.

Questions still open

Can oral formulations of this nutrient combination replicate the intraduodenal effects?
Would this approach work as an adjunct to GLP-1 RA therapy?

Common questions

Can specific foods help control blood sugar through gut hormones?

This study found that combining two nutrients (a fat and an amino acid) in the small intestine triggers GLP-1 release and lowers blood sugar. Practical dietary applications are still being developed.

What are lauric acid and L-tryptophan?

Lauric acid is a fatty acid found in coconut oil, and L-tryptophan is an amino acid found in turkey, cheese, and other protein-rich foods. Together in the gut, they can trigger beneficial hormone release.

Read the original research

Effects of combined intraduodenal administration of lauric acid and L-tryptophan on postprandial plasma glucose, glucoregulatory hormones and gastric emptying in type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, randomised, crossover study.

Diabetologia, 69(4), 900-910

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Anjom-Shoae, Javad; Fitzgerald, Penelope C E; Rose, Braden D; Bitarafan, Vida; Rehfeld, Jens F; Horowitz, Michael; Feinle-Bisset, Christine. (2026). Effects of combined intraduodenal administration of lauric acid and L-tryptophan on postprandial plasma glucose, glucoregulatory hormones and gastric emptying in type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, randomised, crossover study.. Diabetologia, 69(4), 900-910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-025-06630-0