A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that adults with type 2 diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet experience improved beta-cell function, which may help manage symptoms. It shows that there is. It may be more effective and reduce or eliminate the need for medication.
More than 38 million Americans have diabetes, more than 90% of whom have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually develops in people over the age of 45. However, it is also becoming more common in children, teens, and young adults.
People with type 2 diabetes have a decreased beta cell response to blood sugar, probably due to eating too many carbohydrates. Beta cell failure or dysfunction along with insulin resistance contributes to the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes.
Beta cells are endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels.
“This study shows that patients with type 2 diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet can restore their beta cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with medication,” said study lead author Barbara Gower, UAB department chair. the doctor said. PhD in Nutritional Science. “Reducing carbohydrate intake in people with mild type 2 diabetes may allow them to stop their medication and enjoy meals and snacks that are high in protein and meet their energy needs.”
This study compared two groups of adults with type 2 diabetes. One group followed a low-carbohydrate diet and the other group followed a high-carbohydrate diet. The researchers wanted to see how these diets affected beta cell function and insulin secretion.
The study found that a low-carbohydrate diet improved beta-cell function and insulin secretion, even after weight loss was taken into account. This means that the benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet go beyond just weight loss.
Dr. Barbara Gower (UAB)
Participants were asked to stop taking their diabetes medication before the study began, as changes in health status may be related to diet.
All participants were given food as part of the study. Low-carbohydrate diets are low in carbohydrates and high in fat, while high-carbohydrate diets are high in carbohydrates and low in fat.
The researchers found that acute beta-cell responses improved twofold and maximal beta-cell responses improved by 22 percent in people who ate low-carbohydrate versus high-carbohydrate diets. Within each racial group, black adults who ate a low-carbohydrate diet had a 110 percent improvement in acute beta-cell response, and white adults had a 48 percent improvement in peak beta-cell response compared to their respective adults who ate a high-carbohydrate diet. I did. carbohydrate diet.
“Further research is needed to determine whether a low-carbohydrate diet can restore beta cell function and lead to remission in patients with type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Gower said.
Other study authors include Amy Goss, Marian Yurchyshyn and William Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sarah Diemer of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Bhuvana Sunil of the University of Washington and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, Washington;
The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Center for Nutritional Obesity Research, the Center for Diabetes Research, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
