Research continues to support the idea that reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet is a worthwhile goal for anyone with diabetes. Through the combined effort of Bispebjerg Hospital, Aarhus University, and the University of Copenhagen, researchers recently reported that a reduced-carbohydrate diet helped with both blood sugar levels and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes. The study consisted of 28 people with type 2 diabetes. They were monitored for a total of 12 weeks: six weeks eating a traditional high-carbohydrate diet and six weeks eating a lower-carbohydrate diet. The lower-carbohydrate diet was also high in protein, moderate in fat, and included carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index.
In April, the American Diabetes Association published a long-awaited consensus statement explaining that carbohydrate restriction is not only a safe and sustainable option for diabetes but also the most effective dietary intervention for lowering blood sugar. A few months later, it was standing-room only during two low-carb presentations at the American Association of Diabetes Educators conference attended by dietitians, nurses, and other diabetes professionals. DovePress Diet, diabetes status, and personal experiences of individuals with type 2 diabetes who self-selected and followed a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Instead, the researchers recruited a small group of people with diabetes who were already following a carb-restricted diet on their own. In fact, the criteria for participating in the study included having followed a low-carb, high-fat LCHF diet for at least six months, along with a formal diagnosis of type 2 diabetes corroborated by lab work. While slightly over one third of participants were eating very low carb less than 50 grams per day at their initial assessment, most were consuming somewhere between 50 and grams of carbs per day. Additionally, their diets were mainly minimally processed foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and coconut oil. This is extremely encouraging! People with type 2 diabetes are often told that their disease is progressive and their blood sugar control will worsen over time.
Krauss, Jeff S. Bhanpuri N. Published online Apr Gut microbial metabolites limit the frequency of autoimmune T cells and protect against type 1 diabetes. There is an obvious selection bias because this community is not representative of the general T1D population, but represents a self-selected group of people who voluntarily follow this nutritional approach. Kraemer, Sarah A.