Further evidence that a low-carb diet is effective in managing diabetes

Eating a low-carb diet is an “effective technique” to help manage diabetes, according to a new review.
London Metropolitan University scientists carried out what is called a systematic review of work carried out by other researchers.
They found that if people reduced the amount of foods they ate containing starchy carbohydrates, such as pasta, potatoes and rice, it could significantly lower their blood sugar levels.
As part of the review, a team led by Michelle McKenzie measured HbA1c levels of participants who followed either a low-carb diet or a low-fat diet.
They discovered that those who restricted their carb intake to between 30g and 120g per day significantly lowered their HbA1c. Those who ate less than 30g of carbohydrate per day reduced their HbA1c by 2.2% (24 mmol/mol).
Those on a low-carb diet lost an average of 4.7kg in weight across a two-year period, compared to the low-fat diet group which lost an average of 2.9kg. A low-carb diet was also associated with decreased psychological stress from diabetes management and a reduction in negative moods between meals.
“Our findings suggest that a reduced carbohydrate diet can be an effective technique for managing diabetes and new guidelines that promote lower carbohydrate intakes for both the general population, and those with diabetes, should seriously be considered,” said McKenzie.
“More long-term studies are required to ensure that the results can be confidently translated into clinical practice, however, the science at this point in time is compelling and should not be ignored.”
The findings are to be published in the Winter Meeting edition of the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Diabetes.co.uk has long promoted lowering carb intake as an effective way of improving diabetes management for people with type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes. This is why we developed the Low Carb Program, of which over 185,000 people are users.
The program helps to explain how healthy eating can reduce your blood glucose levels and lower your dependency on medication, improving your overall health outcomes.