Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Is a High Fat Diet Okay for Type 2 Diabetes?

June 13th, 2012
written by Michael O’Leary

If you have type 2 diabetes, you know that diet and exercise are the first treatments your doctor prescribes, and the diet recommended is likely a low-fat diet. But a new study suggests that the opposite might be better for weight loss and controlling blood sugar, at least to start. (Published site)


Swedish researchers studied a group of 61 people averaging 63 years old who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for about 9 years each. The participants were randomly assigned to a group counseled to consume a low-fat diet, or a group counseled to consume a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Both groups were required to consume no more than 1,600 calories for women and 1,800 calories for men.  They published their results online last week, ahead of print publication in the journal Diabetologia.


The low-carbohydrate group derived no more than 20 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, while the low-fat group derived between 55 percent and 60 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. To make up the calories in the low carbohydrate diet, participants were counseled to consume more foods high in monosaturated fats.

In both groups the average weight loss at the end of the first six months was about nine pounds, but by the end of two years the average weight loss was only five pounds in the high-fat diet group and six pounds in the low-fat diet group.

HbA1c levels averaged 7.5 percent at the start of the study in the high-fat group and were reduced by .5 percent at the end of six months, but after two years the HbA1c returned to same level as at the start of the study. The HbA1c levels in the low-fat group was reduced only .2 percent at the end of 12 months but returned to beginning levels after two years.

The high-fat diet group showed a significant increase in their HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol, which is good news for those battling cholesterol.

The researchers noted that the reduction in blood sugar levels and subsequent return to the start of the study closely followed how well the participants followed the diet. During the first six months, participants generally followed the diet, and their blood sugar levels and weight declined. But as the study continued over time, the people found it more and more difficult to maintain the low carbohydrate diet as seen in participants’ food records.

By the end of the study at two years, blood sugar levels had returned to the beginning levels, and participants regained some of the weight lost in the first six months. As a result, they concluded their strategy may indeed be a valid treatment strategy.

“Aiming for 20 percent of energy intake from carbohydrates is safe with respect to cardiovascular risk compared with the traditional low-fat diet,” they wrote, “and this approach could constitute a treatment alternative.”

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