Low carb high-fat diet may reduce blood sugar significantly in diabetes

In randomized controlled trials and observational studies, LCHF diets have yielded promising results in managing T2D. Despite the favorable results about the LCHF diet, its precise impact on metabolism is still uncertain because macronutrient proportions were inconsistent between past studies, with carbohydrates as high as 40% of total calories, potentially diluting the impact.

Shabina Roohi Ahmed, Endocrinology, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and colleagues investigated the role of low carbohydrate, high-fat diets in improving glycemic control among diabetes patients real-world settings.

For the purpose, the researchers investigated the effects of LCHF duet compared with usual care in a community-based cohort of T2D patients. They performed a retrospective study of 49 patients who followed the LCHF diet for ≥3 months. They compared glycemic outcomes with age-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls who received usual care (n=75). The primary outcome was a change in A1C from baseline to the end of follow-up. 

"In a community-based cohort of type 2 diabetes, the LCHF diet was associated with superior A1C reduction, greater weight loss and significantly more patients discontinuing or reducing antihyperglycemic therapies suggesting that the LCHF diet may be a metabolically favorable option in the dietary management of type 2 diabetes," concluded the authors.

The study, "Effects of the low carbohydrate, high fat diet on glycemic control and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes: experience from a community-based cohort," is published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-000980