Macro partitioning
Lowering total carbohydrate intake (very-low to moderately low) improves glycemic control (A1C, fasting glucose) and insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, often allowing for reduced medication use, without worsening CVD risk markers compared to conventional diets.
For people with type 2 diabetes, reducing carbohydrate intake to 21-70g/day (very-low) or 30-40% of calories (moderately low) can significantly improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity. This approach often allows for a reduction in diabetes medications. While CVD risk markers like cholesterol may not improve as dramatically as glycemic markers, the overall metabolic benefit is clear. Consult your doctor before changing your diet or medication.
A1C decreased with a lower-carbohydrate diet in 6 of 10 studies in which it was measured... Other glycemic parameters such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), 24-h blood glucose, 24-h insulin (10), and fasting insulin levels (18) decreased significantly, and insulin sensitivity increased significantly (10) on the lower-carbohydrate diet. Glucose-lowering medications were decreased for individuals following the lower-carbohydrate diet (10–12,14,17) or were more frequently decreased than in the comparison diet (16).
Why this rating
Based on 11 clinical trials, but many were small, short-duration, or had high dropout rates.
Source
Macronutrients, Food Groups, and Eating Patterns in the Management of Diabetes
Madelyn L. Wheeler et al. · Diabetes Care · 2012
DOI 10.2337/dc11-2216
More from this paper
- Increasing dietary fiber intake (4-19 g/day via supplements or whole foods) leads to little to no significant improvement in A1C or CVD risk markers in people with type 2 diabetes, although it may improve postprandial glycemia and inflammatory markers.Moderate
- Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) does not improve glycemic control (A1C, fasting glucose) in people with type 2 diabetes, but may reduce triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
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- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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