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- Sticking to a low-carbohydrate diet could lead to remission from type 2 diabetes after six months.
- A review of studies confirmed that the low-carb diet is the best option, but the benefits may decrease after a year.
- More research needs to be done on the long term effects of the diet.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
A strict low-carb diet may be the best way for patients with type 2 diabetes to go into remission, according to a new study analysis.
The results of the meta-analysis, published Wednesday in BMJ, are in line with the official American Diabetes Association recommendation that lowering carbs is the best approach to lowering blood sugar.
The review summarized data from 23 randomized controlled trials involving more than 1,300 participants with type 2 diabetes. Most studies compared a diet low in carbohydrate or very low in carbohydrate – defined as less than 26% or 10%. daily calories from carbohydrates, respectively – on low-fat diets.
Overall, patients who followed a low-carb diet for six months had higher remission rates than those who tried other dietary changes.
Dr Mark Cucuzzella, a professor at the University of West Virginia School of Medicine who has published several studies on dietary changes and diabetes, said reducing carbohydrate intake and consuming more food rich in nutrients can help patients reverse the course of the disease.
“The good news about diabetes is that it is an eating disorder, so it’s reversible with lifestyle measures that target carbohydrates,” said Cucuzzella, who was not affiliated with the ‘study, at Insider. “This meta-analysis is just another set of studies that shows it’s possible to do it.”
People with type 2 diabetes are ‘carbohydrate intolerant’
While the term doctors usually use to describe type 2 diabetes is “insulin resistance,” Cucuzzella said another way of looking at it is that people with the disease are “carbohydrate intolerant.” “.
“Their bodies don’t metabolize and respond well to carbohydrates, and the end result is high insulin levels, which precede high hyperglycemia or high blood sugar,” explained Cucuzzella.
Fats and proteins don’t cause blood sugar spikes like carbohydrates do, so cutting back on sweets and starches can help patients keep their diabetes under control with medication.
Other options for managing diabetes include weight loss surgery – removing the stomach and intestines – or subsisting on an 800-calorie-a-day shake, so cutting back on carbohydrate intake is a relatively simple fix, Cucuzzella said.
Sticking to the low carb lifestyle is the hardest part
Most of the benefits of a low-carb diet seen after six months – such as weight loss, improved body fat, and reduced drug use – waned after 12 months, according to the ‘analysis.
The decrease in benefits could occur due to patients not sticking to the diet over time, the authors hypothesized, but more research needs to be done to explore adherence and long-term effects. term. Some participants also reported a lower quality of life and worse cholesterol levels after 12 months.
Keeping diabetes in remission is like holding a beach ball underwater, Cucuzzella said. If patients let their dietary changes slip, the disease can easily rebound. However, he said the short-term benefits bode well for the overall effectiveness of the regimen and pointed to patient support as the next step.
“If you can show that something works for six months, when nothing else works than not eating and removing your stomach, we have to figure out how to help people continue on this plane.”
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