Compared with a higher-carbohydrate diet, carbohydrate-restricted intake improved the function of compromised beta-cells in the pancreas during the 12-week trial, researchers said.
Participants on the low-carb diet had their initial beta cell responses improve twice as much as those on the high-carb diet, researchers noted.
In comparing the participants by race, they found that Black adults on the low-carb diet had an average improvement that was 110% greater than Black adults on the high-carb diet.
Meanwhile, White adults on the low-carb diet had 48% greater average improvement than White adults on the high-carb diet, researchers observed.
People on the carbohydrate-restricted diet ate 9% carbs and 65% fat, while those on the high-carb diet consumed 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat.
NEW YORK, October. 22 (UPI) — According to a recent study, a low-carb diet may reduce the need for diabetes medication and improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
The study was released on Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, published by the Endocrine Society.
The function of damaged beta-cells in the pancreas was improved during the 12-week trial by carbohydrate-restricted intake as opposed to a higher-carb diet, according to the researchers. The hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar, is made and released by beta cells.
The corresponding author of the study, Marian Yurchishin, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told UPI, “Type 2 diabetes is caused by beta-cell failure.”.
In the context of a short-term study, Yurchishin stated, “We aimed to investigate if a carbohydrate-restricted diet could be a feasible approach to improve beta-cell function,” especially without requiring weight loss.
According to the researchers, the initial beta cell responses of participants on the low-carb diet improved twice as much as those on the high-carb diet.
When the participants were compared by race, they discovered that Black adults following a low-carb diet improved on average by 110 percent more than those following a high-carb diet.
In the meantime, researchers found that White adults following a low-carb diet improved on average by 48% more than those following a high-carb diet.
Yurchishin stated, “Our data suggests that a carbohydrate-restricted diet provides the opportunity to improve beta cell function both after any diabetes medications were withheld and without the need for weight loss.”.
According to her, “this approach may be more appealing and effective for some persons with type 2 diabetes, particularly in patients of African descent,”. “Healthcare providers could talk about this dietary option with their patients who might be open to following a diet low in carbohydrates. “..”.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 Americans are unaware that they have diabetes, and over 38 million Americans—roughly 1 in 10—have the disease.
According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes affects between 90 and 95 percent of diabetics. The body struggles to maintain normal blood sugar levels due to this chronic condition, which affects how well it uses insulin.
The agency pointed out that while type 2 diabetes primarily affects people 45 and older, it is also becoming more prevalent in children, adolescents, and young adults.
Researchers gathered information from 57 adults with type 2 diabetes, both Black and White. At the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks, the participants’ beta-cell function and insulin secretion were assessed. Half of them followed a low-carb diet, while the other half followed a high-carb diet.
Every participant got their meals as part of the research. Individuals on the high-carb diet consumed 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat, whereas those on the carbohydrate-restricted diet consumed 9% carbohydrates and 65% fat.
Yirchishin stated that “treatment of type 2 diabetes optimally involves lifestyle interventions featuring healthy meal patterns in conjunction with medical therapy,” but that more research would be required to determine the precise mechanisms that enable a low-carb diet to restore beta-cell function?
She did, however, add, “Our findings should not be construed as suggesting that individuals who require medical therapy can be treated with a diet low in carbohydrates. “.”.
According to Yurchishin, patients at risk for heart failure, cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease are among those who still require medication.
“No one therapeutic approach is universally effective,” she stated. “Healthcare professionals should consider patient input and treat each patient according to their needs. “,”.
The Diabetes Research Center, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Nutrition Obesity Research Center, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases provided funding for the study.
Doctor. At Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, Jill Crandall is the director of the Fleischer Institute for Diabetes & Metabolism. Y. stated “it’s premature to draw conclusions” regarding the effect of a very low-carb diet on the release of insulin. She did not participate in the research.
According to Crandall, who is also chief of endocrinology, “this study was conducted in people with mild type 2 diabetes — relatively short diabetes duration, good blood sugar control, and no prior use of insulin,” so the findings might not apply to people with more severe or advanced disease.
According to Dr. Leah Wilson, an assistant professor and director of the endocrinology fellowship program at the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, the study’s inclusion of African Americans alongside European Americans helps to clarify the ways in which diabetes impacts various populations.
“Even in the absence of weight loss, a very low carbohydrate diet can lead to improvements in certain parameters of beta-cell function,” Wilson continued. “..”.
For individualized guidance, speaking with a registered dietitian who is a certified diabetes care and education specialist is beneficial. They provide assistance in coordination with the endocrinologist and primary care physician, according to Janice Baker, an Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists spokesperson.
“Up to forty-two factors can affect blood glucose levels,” Baker stated. “Food is not the entire picture; it is only a portion of it. “.”.
