International Journal of General Medicine · Feb 4, 2026

Quinoa Improves Glucose Metabolism and Fluctuation Based on β-Cell Function in Early-Stage Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Study

By Zhang J, Cong R, Xu L et al.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical studies are yet to determine whether quinoa improves metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Sixty patients with early-stage T2DM were randomly assigned to the quinoa diet (QD) or regular diet (RD) groups. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) and dynamic blood glucose monitoring were performed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of patients adhered to the dietary intervention plan involving quinoa. In addition to postprandial blood glucose and cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, triglycerides, and insulin resistance decreased in the QD group. The reductions in postprandial blood glucose (4.57 ± 2.7 mmol/L vs 2.2 ± 2.8 mmol/L, P <0.001) and glycosylated haemoglobin (0.86 ± 0.24 vs 0.28 ± 0.23, P =0.042) as well as the increase in the time in range (94.52 ± 4.88% vs 87.83 ± 9.9%, P <0.05) were more pronounced in the QD group. The QD group achieved a higher rate of medication reduction or withdrawal (28.6% vs 7.1%, P =0.036). Multivariate analysis indicated that HOMA-β and quinoa consumption were the primary risk factors. CONCLUSION: β-cell function is the key factor influencing quinoa's ability to improve metabolism and achieve diabetes remission in patients with early-stage T2DM.

doi.org/10.2147/ijgm.s584727 Open access PubMed 41883469 Interventions