Going low carb led to improved blood glucose control for people with type 1 diabetes, a new study has revealed.
Danish researchers report that restricting carb intake to just 100 grams a day, compared to eating 250g, resulted in benefits including reduced hypoglycemia, more stable blood glucose variability and better weight control.
The 12-week trial, which focused on how a low carb diet could help those with type 1 diabetes, involved 10 people who completed the entire study.
The participants were all fitted with sensor-augmented insulin pumps and given individual meal plans. Each participant’s carbohydrate intake was entered into the pump throughout the research period.
Those who ate 100g carbs per day spent less time with blood glucose below 3.9 mmol/L, compared with those who ate 250g per day. The low carb group also lose more weight.
No events of severe hypoglycemia were reported in the trial. And no cardiovascular risk factors were significantly affected.
The findings, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, further support the growing evidence base that limiting carb intake can benefit people with diabetes. This is because avoiding starchy carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes helps to reduce larger blood glucose spikes and crashes that can often occur with higher carb diets.
Last year, a very low carbohydrate lifestyle along the lines of the method advised by prominent physician Dr Richard Bernstein led to “exceptional control” in young people with type 1 diabetes.
Additionally, the world’s largest low carb study in type 1 diabetes began last year to explore the benefits of eating low carb on the management of type 1 diabetes.
Later this year DDM will be launching the Type 1 Program, a structured education course that explains the principles to help people with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood glucose control.

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