Low carb diet may mean type 2 diabetics can reduce medication
In the UK, the number of people with type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, and more than 2.4 million people are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
November is National Diabetes Month which aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of this serious health concern and ways to manage the condition.
Now, a new study has suggested that patients with type 2 diabetes who follow a low-carb diet may be able to stop taking medication. Researchers in the US found that a low-carbohydrate diet could improve beta-cell function. Beta-cells are endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin. This is the hormone that controls our blood sugar levels.
Controlling your blood sugar response
People with type 2 diabetes have a compromised beta-cell response to blood sugar. It’s thought that eating too many ’empty carbs’ in the form of food full of sugar and white flour. These foods have a high glycaemic index, which means a blood sugar spike after eating.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, followed patients with type 2 diabetes, half on a low-carb diet and the other half on a high-carb diet, and examined their beta-cell function and insulin secretion at the outset and after 12 weeks.
Patients on the carb-restricted diet ate 9% carbohydrates and 65% fat, while those on the high-carb diet ate 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Those following the low-carb diet saw significant improvements in the acute and maximal beta-cell responses.
“This study shows people with type 2 diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet can recover their beta-cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with medication,” commented University of Alabama Professor Barbara Gower.
There are many diabetes treatments available to help manage the condition. Everyone is different so that treatment will vary depending on your needs. Medication may be necessary to keep your blood sugar levels healthy.
You’ll usually be offered metformin tablets first to keep your blood sugar healthy. If metformin is not suitable for you or is not keeping your blood sugar levels at the appropriate level, then you may need to take a different medicine, such as insulin.
Other ways to manage type 2 diabetes
Some patients can manage type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes and weight management. There’s evidence to show that the Mediterranean-style diet can promote weight loss and improve blood glucose management in people with type 2 diabetes.
Weight loss injections are proving an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes. At GP London W1, we follow NICE recommendations, prescribing this medication for weight loss for patients with a BMI over 30 or those with a BMI over 27 if they have an associated weight-related health condition such as pre-diabetes or diabetes.
For more advice on managing type 2 diabetes, call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 or email [email protected] to arrange a consultation at GP London W1.
