People with type 2 diabetes who follow a low-carbohydrate diet may be able to stop their medication, a new study suggests.
US researchers have found that a low-carbohydrate diet may improve beta cell function in patients being treated for the disease. The disease affects approximately 34 million Americans and 1 in 15 people worldwide.
Type 2 diabetes most often affects people over the age of 45, but an increasing number of children, teens, and young adults are also developing the disease.
The researchers explained that beta cells are endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels.
People with this disease have a decreased beta cell response to blood sugar, probably due to eating too many carbohydrates. “Empty carbohydrates” are full of sugar and flour and have a high glycemic index, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin levels after a meal.
These include refined grains that have their bran, fiber, and nutrients removed, such as white bread and bagels, pizza dough, potato chips, pasta, pastries, white rice, sweet desserts, and many breakfast cereals.
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“This study shows that patients with type 2 diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet can recover their beta cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with drug therapy,” said study lead author Barbara Gower of the University of Alabama. the professor said.
“People with mild type 2 diabetes who reduce their carbohydrate intake may be able to stop their medication and enjoy meals and snacks that are high in protein and meet their energy needs.”
For the study, published online by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the research team collected data from 57 adults with type 2 diabetes, half of whom ate a low-carb diet and the other half a high-carbohydrate diet. I looked at their beta values. Cell function and insulin secretion at start and after 12 weeks. Meals were provided to all participants.
Those on a carbohydrate-restricted diet ate 9% carbohydrates and 65% fat, while those on a high-carbohydrate diet ate 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat.
The researchers found that people on a low-carbohydrate diet had a two-fold increase in acute beta-cell response and a 22% increase in maximal beta-cell response compared to a high-carbohydrate diet.
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Black participants who ate a low-carbohydrate diet had a 110% increase in acute beta-cell response, while white adults had a 48% increase in maximal beta-cell response compared to participants who ate a high-carbohydrate diet.
Professor Gower said further research was needed to confirm that a low-carbohydrate diet could restore beta cell function and lead to remission in people with type 2 diabetes.
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