A new study published in the British Medical Journal shows that maintaining a low carbohydrate diet strictly for a time period of six months can help in the active remission of type 2 diabetes in people with the health condition.
Prior to the research, it has already been established that people with diabetes are usually intolerant to carbohydrate-rich foods. Eating carbs while having the condition can, therefore, cause health complications and raise blood sugar levels significantly. This may also lead to the need for higher dosage of insulin.
In the new investigation, the researchers examined the association between carbs and diabetes further by looking at twenty-three different trials which included data over thirteen hundred people with type 2 diabetes.
The participants in the trials maintained a strict low-carb diet for a period of at least twelve weeks. They adhered to either a diet in which twenty-six percent of calories came from carbs or an even stricter diet where only ten percent of the daily calories came from carbs.
The impact of the diet along with health, quality of life, weight management, and blood glucose levels of the participants were then analyzed for six months to one year.
The researchers found that participants who continued to follow a low-carb diet had better health and a higher rate of remission in comparison with those who did not maintain a low-carbohydrate intake.
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In addition, low-carb diets were also associated with weight loss, more stable blood-sugar levels, reduced need for medication, lower risk of diabetes-related issues, and improved body-fat concentrations.
Overall, the participants maintaining a low-carbohydrate intake had a thirty-two percent higher rate of diabetes remission.
Due to the benefits of a low-carb intake, doctors usually recommend diabetes patients to switch their diets. However, it is important to maintain the diet in order to keep the impact.
People who do not adhere to it as strictly as before no longer get the same benefits. Since diabetic patients are typically intolerant to carbs, sticking to it even after a certain period is recommended.
When a person stops consuming carb-rich foods, the load of producing enough insulin on the body is also reduced. Secondly, this also results in fewer blood-sugar spikes and improved insulin resistance.
Therefore, it is better to switch to low-carbohydrate diets but doctors recommend always starting slow. Making drastic changes and cutting out daily-consumed foods all at once is often not beneficial in the long-run because people find it difficult to stick to such a diet.
Instead, it is better to take one step at a time and start by switching one meal of a day to a carb-free meal. Over time, try to cut down carb-intake to a certain limit.
During this period, it is also important to consult a doctor and be regular with appointments or routine checkups. Also, do not forget to regularly monitor blood sugar levels all along.
For people who do not know much about the diet, it is better to consult a licensed dietician and a doctor before switching in order to avoid any complications.
