A low-carbohydrate diet may help prediabetics lower blood sugar levels without drugs

About 37 million Americans have diabetes, 90-95% of whom have diabetes. type 2 diabetesaccording to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition, More than 1 in 3 American adults have pre-diabetesblood sugar levels are elevated but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. Pre-diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

The new study included 150 people between the ages of 40 and 70 who had untreated prediabetes (HbA1C between 6.0% and 6.9%). Of these, 59% were black, 41% were white, and 7% were Hispanic.

Researchers randomly assigned people to follow either a low-carbohydrate diet or a normal diet for six months.

During the first three months, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group ate less than 40 grams of carbohydrates per day. For the next three months, they said he ate less than 60 grams of carbohydrates a day.

low carb food It includes meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, and vegetables such as olives, celery, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes.

People in the low-carbohydrate diet group also attended frequent behavioral counseling sessions and received recipes for low-carbohydrate meals. and helped with self-catering.

For people following a normal diet, Standard written information about healthy eating I was given the opportunity to participate in monthly educational sessions not related to diet.

Researchers followed the participants after 3 and 6 months. His 95% of participants completed her 6-month follow-up visit.

After 6 months, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group had an average reduction of 0.26 points in HbA1c. Dorans called it “understated but clinically relevant.”

In contrast, HbA1c decreased by an average of 0.04% among those on a normal diet.

The researchers found that the low-carbohydrate diet group also had greater decreases in fasting blood sugar, body weight, fasting insulin levels, and waist circumference.

The reduction in HbA1c in the low-carbohydrate diet group was modest but similar to that seen in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study.

DPP is a lifestyle intervention that includes moderate physical activity and weight loss plus a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

In that early study, people without diabetes who followed the program had a 58% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes after almost three years.

Given the small number of participants and the short follow-up of the new study, researchers were unable to determine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet on the risk of developing diabetes.

“Future studies may be done to see if this dietary approach could be an alternative approach to type 2 diabetes prevention,” Drance said in a news release.

Another question that requires additional research is whether the decline in HbA1c is due to the low-calorie diet itself, or due to other factors.

At the six-month follow-up, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group averaged about 400 fewer total calories per day compared to those who followed a normal diet.

Additionally, people in the low-carbohydrate diet group lost about 13 pounds more than those in the normal diet group during the six-month study.

“Thus, it is unclear whether the decrease in HbA1c in the low-carbohydrate diet group was due to the low-carbohydrate diet itself or to caloric restriction accompanying weight loss. Qinyangendocrinologist and medical director at UCI Health Diabetes Center in Irvine, CA.

One of the strengths of the new study is that none of the participants were taking drugs for type 2 diabetes, such as metformin. This allowed researchers to study the effects of diet alone on blood sugar levels in prediabetics.

However, the researchers noted that the program used in this study may not work in all settings. Participants had frequent meetings with study staff to ensure they could safely follow a low-carbohydrate diet.

Some health insurance plans or employers may offer similar counseling sessions with a nutritionist or nutritionist to help people find a diet that works for them.

Although the study focused on people with prediabetes, Yang said diet is also an “essential factor” for helping people diagnosed with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.

Regular physical activity and stress management also help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range.

“But it’s important to talk to your doctor about diabetes guidance and treatment options,” says Yang.