Diabetes Diet: Low Carbohydrate Results

Diabetes Diet: Low Carbohydrate Results

A diabetes diet of low carbohydrate is shown again to result in reduced blood sugar levels as measured by the HbA1c index (glycated hemoglobin, which measures the amount of blood glucose in the body over about the past three months) and to result in improved blood lipid levels.

[H]ighlighted in the presentation ... published in December 2003 in [the] journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, The Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate Regimen on Glycemic Control and Serum Lipids in Diabetes Mellitus. The case study involved a "chart review...of 30 patients who self-reported the consumption of 30 g of carbohydrate daily, followed a strict insulin regimen, monitored blood glucose levels at least four times daily, and had follow-up clinical visits or phone calls with their physician. For both type I and type II diabetics, there were significant improvements in glycemic control and mean fasting lipid profiles at follow-up."

How significant?

HbA1c levels dropped, over an average of 21.4 months, from 7.9 to 5.7 - much lower than the ADA target of 7 and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) target of 6.5.

Additionally, significant improvements were reported for:

* weight (average 5kg weight loss [about 11 pounds])
* LDL (decreased from 155.4 to 129.7)
* Triglycerides (decreased from 106.8 to 73.6)
* HDL (increased from 50.4 to 73.6) and
* Total Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio (decreased from 4.99 to 3.42).

Non-significant changes included a reduction in total cholesterol from 229 to 222, and a reduction in the use of insulin from 32 units to 25 units on average.

As the researchers noted, "A carbohydrate-restricted regimen improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in selected motivated patients."

Source: Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders journal via http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2006/11/can-diabetics-have-normal-blood-sugars.html

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