In mice, olive oil given before glucose slowed the first blood-sugar rise, including in mice with type 2 diabetes

What the research found

Study (mouse experiments, not a human diet trial). ScienceDaily carried the Kyoto University account on 11 October 2026. Yanyan Liu, Daisuke Yabe, and colleagues report in Diabetes (2026; doi 10.2337/db26-0531). After an overnight fast, mice got water then glucose, olive oil then glucose 15 minutes later, or glucose then olive oil 15 minutes later. Olive oil before glucose produced a smaller early blood-sugar rise, slower stomach emptying, and an early rise in glucagon and two incretin hormones. The same pattern appeared in mice with type 2 diabetes and severe insulin deficiency. Blocking glucagon signaling alone, or incretin signaling alone, did not remove the effect. Blocking both at once reduced it. Cutting the vagus nerves below the diaphragm also changed the response, which the authors read as a nerve contribution. Yabe said the order nutrients reach the gut can change how fast the stomach delivers glucose. The release says earlier human observations of eating vegetables, protein, or fat before carbohydrates exist, but this paper does not itself establish the mouse mechanism in people. Educational notes. This is not medical advice and not a meal prescription.

Evidence level: Animal study. Results in animals or cells often don't carry over to people.

Read the original at Kyoto University / Diabetes