Research

Macro partitioning

In adults with type 2 diabetes, a low-carbohydrate, high-unsaturated fat diet provides superior glycemic stability and reduces diabetes medication requirements compared to a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, despite achieving equivalent weight loss.

If you have type 2 diabetes, switching to a low-carbohydrate diet (around 14% of calories from carbs) while keeping saturated fat low can help you stabilize your blood sugar and potentially reduce your need for diabetes medication, even if you lose the same amount of weight as you would on a standard low-fat diet. This approach focuses on reducing glycemic spikes rather than just calories.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
The LC sustained greater reductions in diabetes medication requirements, and in improvements in diurnal blood glucose stability and blood lipid profile, with no adverse renal effects, suggesting greater optimization of T2D management.
Jeannie Tay et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2017

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with 2-year duration, though attrition was high (~50%).

Source

Effects of an energy‐restricted low‐carbohydrate, high unsaturated fat/low saturated fat diet versus a high‐carbohydrate, low‐fat diet in type 2 diabetes: A 2‐year randomized clinical trial

Jeannie Tay et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2017

rct · n=115Cited 217×
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