L-Isoleucine and blood sugar
What 5 graded rows on l-isoleucine agree on for blood sugar, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the L-Isoleucine page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the L-Isoleucine page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
L-Isoleucine and blood sugar
5 rows · 68 peopleSplit. 2 rows found an improvement and 3 found no difference.
- DGrade D× 5
- Rows
- 5
- Trials
- 5
- People
- 68
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade D, is a crossover trial of 15 people (2026) and found no difference.
Only the 3 rows that found no difference name women in their population.
The rows
2 improved · 3 no difference- DGrade DEarly post-meal glucose with 5 g isoleucine, alone or with quinine · No difference
Crossover RCT · n 15 · 2026 · Healthy lean men
5 g by intragastric tube 30 minutes before a mixed-nutrient drink (300 mg quinine given 30 minutes earlier in the combined arm) · Single dose per visit
Isoleucine alone did not delay the early rise in glucose, while the quinine arms did. Adding quinine to isoleucine raised insulin but did not lower glucose more than quinine alone, and gastric emptying did not change.
Row on the L-Isoleucine page · PubMed 41365468 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DPost-meal glucose and gastric emptying in type 2 diabetes · No difference
Crossover RCT · n 14 · 2021 · Men with type 2 diabetes
10 g by intragastric tube 30 minutes before a mixed-nutrient drink · Single dose per visit
Isoleucine raised insulin and glucagon but did not lower post-meal glucose or slow gastric emptying.
Row on the L-Isoleucine page · PubMed 33310174 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DGlucose, insulin and gut hormones during an oral glucose tolerance test · No difference
Crossover RCT · n 12 · 2019 · Healthy inactive adults (6 women, 6 men; USA)
0.3 g per kg lean body mass (about 16 g on average) 30 minutes before the glucose drink · Single dose per visit
Isoleucine raised the gut hormone GIP more than leucine or placebo, but did not change blood glucose or insulin.
Row on the L-Isoleucine page · PubMed 31689951 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DPeak post-meal glucose, C-peptide, glucagon and gastric emptying · Improved
Crossover RCT · n 15 · 2021 · Healthy young men
10 g by intragastric tube 30 minutes before a mixed-nutrient drink · Single dose per visit
Isoleucine lowered peak post-meal glucose compared with control and valine, and raised glucagon before the drink. Overall gastric emptying did not change.
Row on the L-Isoleucine page · PubMed 34064996 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DBlood glucose after a mixed-nutrient drink and later energy intake · Improved
Crossover RCT · n 12 · 2016 · Healthy lean volunteers
5 g or 10 g by intragastric infusion 15 minutes before the drink · Single dose per visit
10 g lowered the blood glucose area under the curve and peak glucose without raising insulin; 5 g had no significant effect. Neither dose changed how much people ate at a buffet meal.
Row on the L-Isoleucine page · PubMed 27655440 (opens PubMed)