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Below you will find the benefits of a low carb diet for type 2 diabetes and heart health.
Eating a low carb diet can bring benefits to both your health and your health. type 2 diabetes and heart health, according to two studies recently published in the journals Diabetes Care. and Annals of Internal Medicine, respectively. An estimated 26 million Americans have Type 2, and more than one-third of adults in the United States there are at least one form of cardiovascular disease.
Benefits of low-carb diet in type 2 diabetes researched at the University of Adelaide
The first study, conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia, sought to determine the effects of a very low-carb, high-saturated fat/low-saturated fat/low-saturated fat (LC) diet and a high-unrefined carbohydrate (HC) diet on blood glucose control and heart health in people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers randomly assigned 115 overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes and A1C levels (a measure of glucose control over the past 2-3 months) of 7% or higher to one of the study diets for a total of 24 weeks.
Although both diets contained the same number of calories, the LC diet was composed of 14% of carbohydrates (with a goal of less than 50 grams per day), 28% of protein, and 58% of total fat, including 35% of monounsaturated fat and 13% of polyunsaturated fat, while the HC diet was composed of 53% of carbohydrates with an emphasis on low-glycemic foods, 17% of protein, and less than 30% of total fat, including 15% of monounsaturated fat and 9% of polyunsaturated fat. Both diets limited saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories.
In addition to consuming the assigned diets, all participants also participated in 60-minute exercise classes three days a week.
Ninety-three participants completed the study. At the end of the 24-week period, researchers found that A1C levels had been reduced by an average of 2.6% in the LC group, compared with 1.9% in the HC group. Among participants with average baseline blood glucose levels of 155 mg/dL or above, the blood glucose reduction was 61 mg/dL in the LC group, compared with 45 mg/dL in the HC group. (The difference in blood glucose reduction was not significant among those with lower baseline levels.) Those in the LC group also saw reduced swings in blood glucose levels and a greater reduction in triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), and stopped taking more diabetes medications, compared with participants in the HC group.
Benefits of a low-carb diet in type 2 diabetes through a new eating pattern
“The findings of this study suggest that a new dietary pattern that limits carbohydrates and increases protein and unsaturated fats may have more favorable therapeutic potential for optimizing type 2 diabetes control and reducing cardiovascular disease risk as part of a holistic lifestyle modification program,” said lead investigator Grant D. Brinkworth, PhD.
The study authors note that sticking to a particular meal plan long-term is “notoriously difficult” and suggest that more studies are needed to determine whether the beneficial effects of a low-fat, high-unsaturated fat diet are sustained beyond 24 weeks.
Benefits of a low-carb diet for type 2 diabetes by Tulane University
The second study was conducted by researchers at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine to determine the effects of a low-carb diet compared with a low-fat diet on body weight and heart health. Scientists recruited 148 adults without diabetes or cardiovascular disease, randomly assigning 75 of the participants to a low-carb diet (defined in this study as less than 40 grams of carbohydrates per day) and 73 of the participants to a low-fat diet (defined as less than 30% of total daily calories from fat and less than 7% from saturated fat).
The subjects received the same instructions about dietary fiber and types of fats. They met with dietitians in weekly individual sessions for the first four weeks, then in small groups every other week for the next five months. For the last six months of the study, all participants met in small group sessions monthly.
Fifty-nine people (79%) in the low-carb group and 60 people (82%) in the low-fat group completed the year-long study. The researchers found that, compared with those in the low-fat group, participants in the low-carb group had significantly greater reductions in body weight and fat mass and increases in lean mass. They also had significantly greater reductions in C-reactive protein levels (a marker of inflammation), estimated 10-year risk for coronary heart disease, triglyceride levels, and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (“good”) cholesterol. The results were found to apply to both African-American and white participants.
Benefits of a low-carb diet for type 2 diabetes and the researchers’ suggestions
"Our findings suggest that people who want to lose weight and have risk factors for heart disease may consider a low-carbohydrate diet as an option to lose weight and improve these risk factors," study coauthor Tian Hu noted in an interview with Medscape Medical News.
Speaking with Medscape Medical News, Kasia Ciaston, MS, RD, LDN, who was not involved in the research, emphasized that the real message of the study is that getting the right balance in your diet, versus cutting out a particular macronutrient like carbohydrate or fat, is most beneficial for health.
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