A recent randomized controlled study with over 100 individuals living with type 2 diabetes demonstrated that following a low-carb, high-fat, unrestricted diet led to both improved glucose control and weight loss over six months as opposed to one based around high carbs/low fat ratio.
Around the globe, over 480 million individuals are affected by type 2 diabetes. More than 50% of diabetics also have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which may progress to cirrhosis and impair liver function.
Recent research indicates that weight loss improves both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes control, and carbohydrate restriction improves blood sugar level control.
Over six months, 165 individuals with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated either a low-carb, high-fat diet or high-carb, low-fat diet for six months. Individuals in both groups were instructed to consume an identical number of calories as their energy expenditure.
Dieters following a low-carb diet were required to consume no more than 20% of their calories from carbs; they could still get 20-30% from proteins and 50-60% from fat. Low-fat dieters should eat roughly 50% from carbohydrates while evenly distributing their remaining calories between proteins and fats.
Researchers found that participants of low-carb diets reduced hemoglobin A1c by an extra 0.59% than low-fat participants and lost an extra 3.8 kg weight than them. Additionally, their body fat decreased and waist circumference shrunk more dramatically with each cycle of weight loss than with lower fat diet participants.
Both diet groups achieved reduced triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol at six months; however, these effects did not persist three months post study; thus suggesting that for changes to take hold for lasting success they must be maintained.
High fat intake did not seem to impact liver inflammation or fat accumulation among low-carb diet participants; no significant differences were detected between groups in terms of inflammation or fat build-up.
