Low-carb diet helps prediabetics lower blood sugar levels without medication

Low-carb diet helps prediabetics lower blood sugar levels without medication
  • People who followed a low-carbohydrate diet for six months had lower blood sugar levels, according to a new study. I have type 2 diabetes.
  • More than 1 in 3 of her American adults have pre-diabetes and have elevated blood sugar levels but not high enough to diagnose diabetes.
A low-carbohydrate diet may help people at risk of diabetes lower blood sugar levels without medication, a new study finds. found greater reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a marker of blood sugar levels, compared to people on a normal diet.

“Although more research is needed, the key message is that maintaining a low-carbohydrate diet could be a useful approach to preventing and treating type 2 diabetes,” said a press release. New Orleans Public Health and Tropical Medicine Research.

Decrease in blood glucose levels

According to reliable sources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 37 million Americans have diabetes, of which 90-95% cases are type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, more than 1 in 3 of her American adults has pre-diabetes, and her blood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to diagnose diabetes. Pre-diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

The new study included 150 people aged 40 to 70 years with untreated prediabetes (HbA1C 6.0% to 6.9%). Of these, 59% were black, 41% were white, and 7% were Hispanic.

Researchers randomly assigned participants to either a low-carbohydrate diet or a normal diet for six months.

During the first three months, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group ate less than 40 grams of carbohydrate per day. For the next three months he ate less than 60 grams of carbohydrates per day.

Low-carbohydrate foods include meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, and vegetables such as olives, celery, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

People in the low-carbohydrate diet group also frequently attended behavioral counseling sessions and were given recipes for low-carbohydrate meals. We provided food.

Researchers followed participants after 3 and 6 months. His 95% of participants completed her 6-month follow-up visit.

After 6 months, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group had an average of 0.26 points lower HbA1c. Dorans described this as "understated but clinically relevant."

In contrast, those who followed a normal diet lowered their HbA1c levels by an average of 0.04 percentage points.

Researchers found that the low-carbohydrate diet group also significantly reduced fasting blood sugar, body weight, fasting insulin levels, and waist circumference.

Longer-term research needed
The reduction in HbA1c in the low-carbohydrate diet group was modest, but similar to that observed in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study. is a lifestyle intervention that includes the diet of

In this previous study, people without diabetes who participated in the program found that after about three years he had a 58% reduction in his risk of type 2 diabetes.

Given the small number of participants in the new study and the short follow-up, the researchers were unable to determine the effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on the risk of developing diabetes. Future work may be done to see if it could be an alternative approach," Dorans said in a press release.

Another question that needs further research is whether the decline in HbA1c is due to the low-calorie diet itself or to other factors.

At six-month follow-up, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group ate an average of about 400 fewer calories per day than the normal-dieting group.

In addition, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group lost about 13 pounds more during the six-month study than those in the normal diet group.

"Thus, it is unclear whether the decline in HbA1c in the low-carbohydrate diet group is due to the low-carbohydrate diet itself or to caloric restriction during weight loss," said Dr. UCI Health Diabetes Center, Irvine, Calif. Qin Yang, Endocrinologist and Medical Director, said:

One of the strengths of the new study is that none of the participants were taking drugs for type 2 diabetes, such as metformin. This allowed the researchers to examine the effects of diet alone on blood sugar levels in prediabetics. I warn you. Participants met frequently with research staff to ensure they could safely maintain a low-carbohydrate diet, which may not be available to everyone.

Some health plans and employers may offer similar counseling sessions with nutritionists and nutritionists to help people find a diet that works for them.

Although the study focused on people with prediabetes, Yang said diet is also "an integral part" of controlling blood sugar levels in those diagnosed with diabetes.
Regular physical activity and stress management also help people with diabetes keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

"But it's important to talk to your doctor about diabetes and treatment options," Yang said.

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