Eating a hearty breakfast and lunch might benefit people suffering from Type 2 diabetes who are now encouraged to go with up to six small portions a day, according to a new study.

"We compared the efficiency of the classic model with five or six small meals a day with that of two larger meals, breakfast and lunch, having more or less the same daily calorie count," Hana Kahleova, a researcher at Prague's IKEM institute, told AFP on Tuesday.

The research focused on a sample of 54 men and women aged 30-70 who suffer from obesity and Type 2 diabetes, which is not insulin dependent.

Within three months, those who ate larger meals twice a day lost 1.4 kilos (three pounds) more than those who followed the classic model, Kahleova said.

"Levels of sugar, insulin and glucagon on an empty stomach also fell more rapidly in patients who ate in the morning and at midday, and their sensibility to insulin also improved."

But she warned that "anyone taking insulin cannot start on this diet without consulting a doctor," saying it would require a significant adjustment of the insulin dosage.

She added that more extensive research was now needed to confirm the results of the study.

"We cannot draw general recommendations based on this single study," she told AFP.