Welcome Southport contributor - from low carbers ONLY

[IanD]

I've posted this in the Low-carb Diet Forum so that all those who continue to make unpleasant attacks on one who has come here to contribute will KEEP OUT !!!

Low carbers have a lot to share both from years of experience and internet searches.

Let's make this as constructive as possible.

 

[CollieBoy]

I only hope that "The Usual Suspects" haven't scared him off!
Healthy doubt is OK but some are so blind that they WILL NOT believe :shock:

 

[IanD]

He read my PM - I hope he comes back and we can progress for the benefit of ALL diabetics.

In that one short term test, he achieved believable results that indicate that low carb is a very helpful way forward. I hope those involved will continue the experiment way of life and achieve lasting benefits.

DUK of course will warn against the "long term dangers" but as we are all monitored regularly, any adverse effects will become apparent. The irony is that DUK are fully aware of the long term dangers of their recommended diet - I was warned on diagnosis of the progressive nature of the disease, however well I complied with the diet. Why then do they not acknowledge that there might be a better diet?

From their "Position statements - Low-carbohydrate diets for people with Type 2 diabetes (Mar 2011)"

How much carbohydrate is in a low-carbohydrate diet?
For a 2000kcal diet, the recommendation for carbohydrate is 225–300g per day (45–60%)
......
In conclusion, low-carbohydrate diets may be effective in facilitating weight loss in people with Type 2 diabetes in the short term, but there is no evidence that this approach is more successful in the long term than any other approach (9). More research is needed to assess the effectiveness of varying degrees of low-carbohydrate diet on weight, glycaemic control, hypertension and lipid profile in people with Type 2 diabetes (18) as well as to investigate the long term effects of these diets (9).
.....
Ref. 18 Worth J, Soran H (2007). Is there a role for low carbohydrate diets in the management of type 2 diabetes? Q J Med 100; 659–663

Is there a role for low carbohydrate diets in the management of type 2 diabetes? J. Worth and H. Soran 2007

This article will review the Atkins diet, compare it with current nutritional recommendations for type 2 DM patients, and discuss the possibility of adopting a modified version of the Atkins diet as an alternative viable dietary approach.
.....
A 16-week pilot diet intervention trial also demonstrated that a low-CHO, ketogenic diet can improve glycaemic control in obese type 2 DM patients (mean BMI 42), such that diabetes medications were discontinued or reduced in 17 of the 21 participants.19 However, to date there has been no randomized controlled trial in type 2 DM patients and health care professionals remain wary of their use, particularly as standard dietary advice from Diabetes UK does not support this approach.
.....
Modified CHO diets
Until long-term safety data are obtained for low-CHO diets, a compromise may be appropriate, with the use of diets with lower CHO and modest protein intake. Such an approach has been trialled in a small-scale study led by the South-West Clinical Diabetes Research Group.23 Obese type 2 DM patients (n = 102) were recruited and randomly allocated to follow either a CHO restriction diet or a low-fat diet; 79 completed the 3 month study, with similar attrition rates in each group. Weight loss was greater in the low-CHO group (−3.55 ± 0.63 vs. −0.92 ± 0.40 kg) and cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol ratio improved (−0.48 ± 0.11 vs. −0.10 ± 0.10 kg), despite a diet containing more protein, saturated fat and less fibre. On the basis of this, a two-year randomized controlled study of CHO-restriction versus a prescribed energy deficit diet, in 300 obese type 2 DM patients has been funded by Diabetes UK. The study is due to report this year, and will provide information regarding the long-term efficacy and any potential side-effects of a low-CHO diet in patients with type 2 DM.

A six-month interim report (abstract only) based on 259 type 2 DM patients revealed greater weight loss in the low-CHO group (−3.77(0.46) vs. −1.34 (0.32), p < 0.0005) with no deleterious effect on glycaemic control, other risk factors or renal safety.24

Conclusion
Overall, there is growing body of evidence that low-CHO diet intervention is more effective, at least in the short term, in reducing weight and improving insulin sensitivity without significant adverse cardiovascular effects. However, more clinical trials need to be conducted to assess the effectiveness of varying degrees of low-CHO diet on weight, glycaemic control, hypertension and lipid profile in patients with type 2 DM, to resolve current controversies.

Note: The study is due to report this year, and will provide information regarding the long-term efficacy and any potential side-effects of a low-CHO diet in patients with type 2 DM.

I wrote to the leader of that study (Dr. Mark Daly) and got the reply:

Thank you for your interest in our study. My colleagues and I are preparing a paper for submission to a journal and would be delighted to share a copy of the paper with you once it has been accepted.

Diabetes UK have broadened their approach to the carbohydrate content of the diet which does allow for low carb diets.

We have presented our results at 3 national and 1 international meetings. We found no serious adverse effects over 2 years but not everyone is as good at sticking to low carbohydrate diets as you – you’re certainly doing well to keep the tennis going well – I suspect you need extra carbs on tennis days?

We also found that the lower carb group lost more weight initially but the difference between the groups became less over time. Cholesterol and blood pressure were similar.

I trust this is of interest and look forward to sharing the more detailed results in the near future.