Consuming olive oil before carbs blunts glucose spikes in mouse study

In experiments with fasted mice, researchers compared three feeding sequences: water then glucose, olive oil then glucose, and glucose then olive oil. Mice that received olive oil before glucose exhibited a smaller initial blood-sugar rise and delayed gastric emptying. Hormone measurements revealed early increases in glucagon, GIP and GLP-1, and the effect remained in diabetic and insulin-deficient mice.

When signaling through glucagon or GLP-1 was blocked individually, the glucose-lowering benefit persisted, but simultaneous blockade reduced it, suggesting redundant pathways. Cutting the vagus nerves on both sides also lessened the effect, pointing to a gut-brain communication loop. The findings propose that simply altering the order of nutrient intake could help manage post-prandial glucose spikes, though human trials are still needed.