ByMarc Dellière,Medical Consultant & Trainer – Specialist in Stress, Prevention & Integrative Health
When 6 p.m. rolls around and fatigue sets in, fast food seems like a simple, quick, almost lifesaving option. Yet this instant comfort hides a cascade of physiological, mental, and social disruptions—often invisible until it’s too late.
“What we call ‘food’ today is sometimes one of the most powerful vectors of disease.”
The Weight of the Facts Junk food kills—more quietly than tobacco, but even more broadly. Today, 88% of Americans would be considered overweight if we applied the longevity criteria of the Blue Zones. This isn’t just a gap—it’s a nutritional epidemic, driven by daily consumption of fast food, ultra-processed products, refined sugars, fried foods, and industrial snacks.
A few numbers
1 in 5 Americans suffers from a psychiatric disorder, possibly linked to a nutrient-deficient diet.
In certain underprivileged neighborhoods, an obese diabetic may lose up to 45 years of potential life (Years of Potential Life Lost).
Just one extra tablespoon of oil per day can lead to a 10–20 lb weight gain over 10 years.
The Pain Behind the Numbers Fast food isn’t just what you buy at a burger counter. It’s also what fills rushed shopping carts, what’s eaten standing up, what “soothes” stress. For millions, it’s a response to fatigue, isolation, or poverty.
But this “solution” is a trap… These foods flood the bloodstream with empty calories, overload the liver, accelerate aging, promote cancer, and trigger addiction on par with alcohol or tobacco. And most importantly, they break the link with true hunger—the kind that protects and balances.
What you feel…
Bloating, fatigue, cravings…
Too much sodium:water retention, high blood pressure
Too much refined sugar:insulin spike → crash → fatigue
Too little fiber: sluggish digestion, depleted microbiome
Your heart suffers: saturated fats + salt = cholesterol, hypertension, arterial plaque
Your energy crashes: refined carbs and low protein/fiber = rapid digestion, short-lived energy, followed by fatigue
Your mood declines: sugar and fat excess + micronutrient deficiency = increased risk of depression, irritability
You gain weight… and gradually lose your sense of true hunger
What your body silently endures…
Silent inflammation, accelerated aging
Repeated insulin and IGF-1 spikes→ cell proliferation + cancer
Glycation end products (AGEs)→ brain, kidney, and joint aging
Nutrient deficiencies→ antioxidant depletion
Hepatic overload, chronic oxidative stress
A Society Sick From Junk Food – A Call for Collective Responsibility In poor neighborhoods, life expectancy can drop by up to 45 years for overweight diabetics. Fast food feeds cycles of addiction: the worse you eat, the worse you feel… the more you eat again.
A nutritional medicine specialist, warns:
“What I call Fast Food Genocide is the invisible erosion of our health, our brains, and our life expectancy, orchestrated by the food industry.”
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, nutritional medicine specialist
His solution: the Nutritarian Diet, based on the following principles
Maximize micronutrients per calorie. “Health (H) is proportional to Nutrient Density (N) divided by Calories (C): H = N/C.”
Eat whole, unprocessed foods rich in fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals
Limit animal-based calories to under 5–10%
Observe a nightly fasting window of at least 13 hours (e.g., dinner at 7 p.m., breakfast at 8 a.m.)
This approach led to a 26% reduction in breast cancer recurrence in a 10-year study—without changing diet content, just by adjusting meal timing.
What you can do
Make better choices (even at fast food restaurants)→ Choose lean proteins, vegetables, and standard sizes (avoid XL!) → Check nutritional info before ordering or buying @Yuka –https://yuka.io
Change your dietary foundation→ Adopt a “Nutritarian” diet: high in fiber, phytonutrients, and colorful vegetables (H = N/C) → Less than 10% of calories from animal products
Respect your body’s natural rhythm→ Finish dinner early (e.g., by 7 p.m.), and wait 13 hours before breakfast = +26% survival in breast cancer patients
Advocate for universal access to healthy food→ Information alone is not enough. Good food must be available, affordable, and appealing
Fast Food = Fast Aging
This isn’t just a matter of willpower. It’s a matter of environment, biology, and justice—as Dr. Fuhrman underscores. As long as poor neighborhoods remain food deserts, and junk food remains cheap, omnipresent, and socially reinforced, obesity and chronic disease will keep spreading.
Health professionals, policymakers, educators, and responsible industries: we have a duty to change the norms. Let’s make the healthy choice the easy, accessible, and natural one. Food can become a pillar of prevention, longevity, mental health, and social cohesion.
Scientific sources :
Fuhrman J.The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;12(5):375-381. doi:10.1177/1559827618766483
With the surge in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, dietary strategies are no longer just general lifestyle advice — they’ve become powerful therapeutic tools.
But which one should you recommend in clinical practice?
One of the most reliable ways to assess a diet’s effectiveness is by tracking changes inHbA1c, a key marker of long-term glycemic control.
HbA1creflects average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months. The higher the level, the greater the risk of complications such asretinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease.
Notes: Effective in the short term, but benefits tend to fade without long-term support.
🔹Ketogenic Diet
Definition: very low in carbohydrates (<50 g/day), high in fats
Effect on HbA1c: −0.38% to −1.1%
Notes: Rapid and significant impact, but requires close medical supervision. Not always suitable for long-term use
🔹Mediterranean Diet
Definition: high in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, legumes, and fish
Effect on HbA1c: −0.3% to −0.5%
Notes: An excellent balance of effectiveness, adherence, and cardiovascular protection.
In clinical practice:
The best diet is the one a patient canrealistically maintain over time, withsustained improvementsin glycemic control and quality of life.
Key success factors:
Tailor dietary advice to the patient’sage, treatment plan, BMI, comorbidities, and likelihood of adherence
Provideongoing supportandeducation
Monitor regularly: HbA1c, weight, abdominal circumference, lipids, nutritional status
Sources :
Ajala O, English P, Pinkney J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of different dietary approaches to the management of type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Mar;97(3):505-16. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.042457.
Esposito K, Maiorino MI, Ciotola M, Di Palo C, Scognamiglio P, Gicchino M, Petrizzo M, Saccomanno F, Beneduce F, Ceriello A, Giugliano D. Effects of a Mediterranean-style diet on the need for antihyperglycemic drug therapy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Sep 1;151(5):306-14. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-5-200909010-00004.
Meng Y, Bai H, Wang S, Li Z, Wang Q, Chen L. Efficacy of low carbohydrate diet for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2017 Sep;131:124-131. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2017.07.006.
Snorgaard O, Poulsen GM, Andersen HK, Astrup A. Systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary carbohydrate restriction in patients with type 2 diabetes. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017 Feb 23;5(1):e000354. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000354.
Huntriss R, Campbell M, Bedwell C. The interpretation and effect of a low-carbohydrate diet in the management of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2018 Mar;72(3):311-325. doi: 10.1038/s41430-017-0019-4.
Sutton EF, Beyl R, Early KS, Cefalu WT, Ravussin E, Peterson CM. Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes. Cell Metab. 2018 Jun 5;27(6):1212-1221.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010.
At the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Congress 2025 in Bangkok, type 5 diabetes – also known as malnutrition-related diabetes – was officially recognized as a distinct entity. This form of diabetes affects between 20 and 25 million people worldwide, mainly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where chronic malnutrition during childhood or adolescence remains common.
Unlike types 1 and 2, this diabetes is neither autoimmune, nor linked to overweight or insulin resistance. It reflects altered metabolic development due to prolonged deficiency of energy and essential micronutrients, which has a lasting effect on pancreatic function. This particular metabolic profile is marked by severe insulin deficiency, reduced hepatic glucose production, preserved muscular glucose uptake, little or no insulin resistance, and low visceral fat mass.
Until recently, this form of diabetes was often misclassified as type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and therefore poorly managed. Official recognition by the IDF marks a decisive turning point in the global approach to diabetes.
An international working group, co-led by Dr Meredith Hawkins (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York) and Prof Nihal Thomas (Christian Medical College, Vellore, India), has been mandated to develop formal diagnostic criteria, therapeutic guidelines, an international research registry and training modules for healthcare professionals.
As a reminder:
Type 1: autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells.
Type 2: insulin resistance and progressive decompensation.
Type 3: secondary forms (genetic, drug-induced, pancreatic).
Type 4: gestational diabetes.
Type 5: undernutrition diabetes, now defined by specific clinical, metabolic and social criteria.
What about MODY?
MODY diabetes (Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young) is one of the genetic forms grouped under type 3. This hereditary, monogenic form of diabetes occurs at an early age, but without autoimmunity or obesity. It requires precise molecular diagnosis. This classification enables us to better adapt diagnosis and management to profiles that have hitherto been poorly understood
Official recognition by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has several aims:
Improve early detection of cases, which are often misdiagnosed today.
Adapt treatment protocols: this type of diabetes responds poorly to conventional oral antidiabetics.
Guide nutritional policies in the countries concerned, with a focus on vulnerable populations.
In practice: recognition of type 5 diabetes avoids confusion with type 2 diabetes in skinny, young patients who are often inaccessible to standard care.
Therapeutic approaches focus on progressive reconstitution of metabolic reserves, with particular attention paid to :
a protein-enriched diet,
a moderate reduction in fast carbohydrates,
correction of micro nutritional deficiencies (zinc, iron, B vitamins, etc.).
According to Dr. Meredith Hawkins (Albert Einstein College of Medicine):
“We now need to define a specific nutritional strategy for these patients, while respecting their social and economic context.”
An Atypical Form ofDiabetesAmong Individuals With Low BMI. Lontchi-Yimagou E, Dasgupta R, Anoop S, Kehlenbrink S, Koppaka S, Goyal A, Venkatesan P, Livingstone R, Ye K, Chapla A, Carey M, Jose A, Rebekah G, Wickramanayake A, Joseph M, Mathias P, Manavalan A, Kurian ME, Inbakumari M, Christina F, Stein D, Thomas N, Hawkins M. Diabetes Care. 2022 Jun 2;45(6):1428-1437. doi: 10.2337/dc21-1957.
Water is life’s most basic necessity yet; its role in health extends well beyond preventing mere thirst. Scientists now recognize the intricate ways hydration status influences core processes like blood sugar regulation. With metabolic conditions reaching epidemic scales globally, understanding water’s impact on glycemic control becomes pivotal.
In this blog, we analyze emerging science on water-glucose interactions and debunk common myths about it explaining mechanisms underpinning water’s assistance in blood sugar management.
Water’s Vital but Variable Role
Water constitutes over 60% of adult body weight with fluid balance crucial for homeostasis. But hydration needs and effects fluctuate significantly based on health state, climate and activities. Water may provide neutral, beneficial or even adverse effects on blood sugar markers depending on individual context.
This variability means definitive conclusions on water-glucose interactions require nuanced evidence-based evaluation. Any universal declarations on water’s impact could propagate as misguided myths lacking context.
Fact or Fiction? Common Water Beliefs for Blood Sugar
Let’s examine some recurring opinions on hydration and blood glucose using latest scientific benchmarks:
“Drinking more water always lowers blood sugar.”
Fiction. While helpful for most people as a zero-calorie beverage, excess water intake can adversely lower electrolyte levels in diabetics or those on SGLT-2 inhibitors, causing temporary hyperglycemia from medication side effects. Outcomes differ based on individual health conditions.
“Dehydration from low water intake reduces glycemia.”
Partly Fact. Studies confirm even mild dehydration increases blood glucose and HbA1c levels as hydration state influences glucose homeostasis. Though lowering glucose levels short term when acutely dehydrated, persistent fluid restriction and thirst triggers rebound high blood sugar from stress responses.
“Increasing water intake reverses insulin resistance.”
Fiction. No evidence proves higher water consumption alone can reverse cellular insulin signaling dysfunctions driving resistance over the long run. However, even mild persistent dehydration worsens insulin resistance. Adequate hydration helps but is not curative.
As we see, declarative statements on water’s universality in managing blood sugar prove overly simplistic. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, with contextual and personalized guidance needed. A balanced approach is often the answer.
Holistic Approach to Blood Sugar Management: Hydration, Diet, Exercise, and Pep2Dia®
Managing blood sugar levels is crucial for maintaining overall health and well-being, particularly for those with diabetes or at risk of developing the condition. While there is no single solution to achieve optimal blood sugar control, a holistic approach that combines several key elements can be highly effective.
One of the most important factors in blood sugar management is staying properly hydrated. Drinking enough water helps to maintain the balance of fluids in the body, which is essential for various physiological processes, including glucose metabolism. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, and more if you engage in physical activity or live in a hot climate.
In addition to hydration, eating a balanced diet is crucial for managing blood sugar levels. Focus on consuming whole, unprocessed foods that are rich in fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats. Avoid sugary drinks and snacks, as well as refined carbohydrates like white bread and pasta. Instead, opt for complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which provide sustained energy and help to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Regular physical activity is another key component of a holistic approach to blood sugar management. Exercise helps to improve insulin sensitivity, which allows the body to use glucose more efficiently. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.
Finally, incorporating a natural supplement like Pep2Dia® into your routine can provide additional support for blood sugar management. Pep2Dia® is a bioactive peptide derived from milk protein that has been clinically shown to help reduce post-meal sugar peaks. By slowing down the absorption of glucose from the gut, Pep2Dia® helps to prevent sharp spikes in blood sugar levels after eating.
When combined, these four elements – hydration, a balanced diet, regular exercise, and Pep2Dia® supplementation – create a powerful, holistic approach to blood sugar management. By addressing the issue from multiple angles, individuals can optimize their glucose metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce their risk of developing diabetes and related complications.
While each component of this approach is important, it is the synergistic effect of all four elements working together that provides the greatest benefit. By staying hydrated, eating well, exercising regularly, and incorporating Pep2Dia® into their routine, individuals can take control of their blood sugar health and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Over time, poor diet and lifestyle factors can impair our body’s ability to regulate blood sugar properly. The resulting glucose spikes after carb-heavy meals paired with inadequate insulin trigger a cascade of health issues from stubborn body fat to diabetes down the road.
Rather than resort to synthetic drugs with side effects, nutrition science now provides smarter solutions that work with your body’s natural sugar balancing rhythms. Developed by global dairy ingredients innovator Ingredia, the novel bioactive peptide hydrolysate, Pep2Dia® is clinically demonstrated to help maintain healthy blood sugar fluctuations naturally.
In this article, we’ll explore the science and mechanism behind Pep2Dia’s® efficacy for glycemic support, revealing a breakthrough natural ingredient for one of today’s most pressing health challenges.
The Blood Sugar Balancing Act
Breaking down carbohydrate foods into usable sugar energy requires coordinated hormonal actions. Food digestion releases glucose sugar which triggers insulin secretion to transport energy into cells. Insulin acts as the key allowing glucose to move from blood into tissues to fuel activity.
Over time, the strain of these abnormal sugar and insulin surges leads to inflammatory damage of blood vessels plus organs and metabolic disorders. Early interventions that alleviate these glycemic fluctuations thus prevent downstream issues.
Pep2Dia®- A Multi-Target Peptide Complex
This is where Pep2Dia® comes in – a specialized whey peptide hydrolysate scientifically designed by Ingredia nutrition scientists to influence key regulators that manage healthy blood sugar rises after carb-rich meals. Consisting of several bioactive peptide fractions, Pep2Dia® employs two complementary mechanisms to smooth out glucose spikes gently and naturally, inhibition on alpha glucosidase and effects on GLP-1.
Slows Digestion of Carbs
Pep2Dia® firstly contains an amino acid sequence proven to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, the enzyme that breaks down starch and disaccharides into simple glucose to be absorbed. Temporarily decreasing alpha-glucosidase activity, Pep2Dia® slows digestion of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. This attenuates and prolongs post-meal glucose release into the bloodstream for steadier rises rather than sudden spikes that overwhelm.
Multiple randomized controlled trials verify Pep2Dia’s® efficacy in lowering postprandial glycemia via this mechanism without side effects.
This sets Pep2Dia® apart from single target options like basic alpha-glucosidase inhibitors as a multi-action peptide hydrolysate targeting the entire glucose metabolism cycle – from digestion to uptake and utilization for comprehensive support.
Ingredia: Pioneering Peptide Innovation
What enables game changing solutions like blood sugar optimizing Pep2Dia® is ingredient innovation leader Ingredia’s absolute commitment to science-led advancement in human nutrition.
As pioneers in bioactive dairy peptides, Ingredia combines its deep expertise in precision separation techniques with proprietary enzyme technologies to derive peptide complexes targeted to health priorities like blood sugar balance.
The Future of Blood Sugar Management
Thanks to globally validated solutions like Pep2Dia®, sustainable nutrition science can now smartly leverage food synergies that gently modulate and support, rather than interfere with, the incredible self-regulating capabilities inherent within our body.
By relying on evidence-based food derived supplements purposefully engineered through meticulous bioprocessing to influence intrinsic glycemic pathways, we herald food as medicine 2.0 – where clinically proven ingredients amplify dietary efforts to prevent rather than just manage modern health epidemics.
Pep2Dia’s® arrival thus signals a fundamental shift from prescription drug interventions downstream that often come with adverse effects towards gentle safeguards far upstream bolstering our body’s own capacity for balance as the first line of defense. This DNA marks the next era heralding a new generation of food inspired solutions backed by science that deliver efficacy for real people within ethical parameters.
Through breakthrough bioactives like Pep2Dia®, Ingredia uplifts dairy ingredients from simply nutritional to powerfully therapeutic – restoring metabolic equilibrium gently, daily and decisively so we stay healthy and nourished on our terms.
Blood sugar balance is foundational to metabolism, energy levels, body composition and even mood. When glucose regulation goes awry from unhealthy diets, sedentary living and simply aging, we face ballooning health issues from stubborn body fat to diabetes down the road.
To avoid reliance on synthetic drugs with side effects, nutrition science now spotlights smart natural solutions that gently promote our body’s innate capacity for equilibrium. One rising star class is AP dipeptides – highly specific protein molecules clinically proven to influence blood sugar modulating mechanisms for more stable, healthier glycemia day to day.
In this blog, we’ll examine research on AP dipeptides for blood sugar control and how global ingredient innovators like Ingredia are now delivering these bioactives in a supplemental form, Pep2Dia®, to mimic dietary therapies without radical diet changes.
The Blood Sugar Balancing Act
To utilize carbohydrates from foods for energy, the body must convert complex carbs into simple glucose sugars that move from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood glucose triggers the pancreas to secrete insulin, allowing sugar to exit blood and enter cells. Insulin acts as the key unlocking cells to receive glucose from blood and store as glycogen or use for energy.
However, modern high-carb diets lead to oversupply of glucose entering blood quickly after meals. Meanwhile, mounting insulin resistance blunts sensitivity signals. This strains the balancing act between glucose rises and insulin response. Over years, the recurring glucose spikes and sustained high blood sugar levels lead to inflammatory damage of arteries and organs.
Catching blood sugar dysregulation early and alleviating these abnormal sugar swings can prevent full-blown metabolic disease. This is where AP peptides enter the picture.
AP Dipeptides – Precision Blood Sugar Improvers
AP dipeptides refer to very specific amino acid pairs clinically shown to have glycemia regulating effects in humans. By fine tuning digestion, through alpha glucosidase inhibition, AP dipeptides can gently nudge blood sugar levels into healthier ranges without medication side effects.
Research on AP dipeptides prove significant glycemic regulating efficacy in people with higher glycemia risk.
When a person uses Pep2Dia® supplementation before eating a meal with carbohydrates, the AP dipeptide works to inhibit a part of carbohydrate from being absorbed. In doing so, it prevents a glucose spike.
Through precise mechanisms, these dipeptides thus promote healthy glucose digestion, insulin response and sugar clearance from blood into muscles for more stable glycemia after meals.
Ingredia – Pioneering AP Dipeptide Production
However, clinical efficacy requires highly specific AP dipeptide fractions produced consistently to exacting standards. This is achieved by global ingredient pioneer Ingredia.
As leaders in bioactive peptide science across sports, health and nutrition sectors, Ingredia combines proprietary separation technology, precision enzymatic bioprocessing and stringent QA protocols to manufacture Pep2Dia®, a whey protein hydrolysate containing a certain amount of AP dipeptide.
Ingredia enables supplement formulators to integrate AP dipeptide complexes thanks to its product, Pep2Dia® with both high quality and confidence.
The Future of Blood Sugar Management
As the validation, production and applications of evidence-backed AP dipeptides scale rapidly, we approach an inflection point for preventative blood sugar health.
Beyond synthetic downstream drugs with adverse effects, sustainable nutrition science now intelligently activates the body’s intrinsic capacity for glycemic regulation through precise food-inspired compounds refined to clinical standards.
Thanks to global production leaders like Ingredia enabling access to nutraceutical grade AP dipeptides backed by science, consumers worldwide now activate protective dietary therapies scientifically calibrated for real life convenience and efficacy – paving the way for sustainable blood sugar solutions.
With chronic metabolic disorders reaching urgent criticality, highly specific bioactive peptide complexes like AP dipeptides usher in the new frontier of preventative nutrition. Backed by unrelenting science confirming gentle efficacy and safety for blood sugar improvement in humans, specialty AP dipeptides by Ingredia deliver food inspired solutions to a crisis needing answers now, not someday.
This website is intended to provide information about Ingredia’s bioactive ingredients to food supplement professionals and health professionals and is not designed for the general public.
As our ingredients are marketed in a large number of countries, it is the responsibility of each of our customers to ensure that the use of the ingredient and any claim made in the labeling or advertising of the ingredient comply with the applicable rules and regulations.
