Diabetes Patients Benefit From A Very Low-Carb Diet
A very low-carbohydrate ketogenic (LCK) diet may be better than a moderate-carbohydrate, calorie-restricted, low-fat (MCCR) diet for patients living with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, according to a recent study.
For their study, researchers evaluated 34 adults with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) above 6.0% and a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m2. Patients were randomly assigned to adhere to the LCK diet (n = 16) or the MCCR diet (n = 18), and were also encouraged to engage in physical activity, sleep well, and utilize behavioral adherence strategies based on positive affect and mindful eating.
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Findings from the study showed that, at 12 months, patients on the LCK diet had experienced greater reductions in HbA1c (estimated marginal mean [EMM] 6.6% at baseline and 6.1% at 12 months vs 6.9% at baseline and 6.7% at 12 months) and had lost more weight (EMM 99.9 kg at baseline and 92.0 kg at 12 months vs 97.5 kg at baseline and 95.8 kg at 12 months) compared with those on the MCCR diet.
Patients on the LCK diet also used less medications for diabetes at 12 months vs those on the MCCR diet. Six of 10 patients on the LCK diet who took sulfonylureas or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors at baseline had discontinued these medications, whereas none of the patients on the MCCR diet had stopped taking them.
“In a 12-month trial, adults with elevated HbA1c and body weight assigned to an LCK diet had greater reductions in HbA1c, lost more weight, and reduced more medications than those instructed to follow an MCCR diet,” the researchers concluded.
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Saslow LR, Daubenmier JJ, Moskowitz JT, et al. Twelve-month outcomes of a randomized trial of a moderate-carbohydrate versus very low-carbohydrate diet in overweight adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus or prediabetes [Published online December 21, 2018]. Nutr Diabetes. doi:10.1038/s41387-017-0006-9.