A recent study led by American researchers suggests that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who follow a low-carbohydrate diet may experience significant health improvements, potentially even allowing them to discontinue diabetes medications. The research, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that a low-carb diet could enhance the function of beta cells—specialized cells in the pancreas responsible for producing insulin. These findings are particularly relevant given that approximately 34 million Americans, and one in 15 people worldwide, live with type 2 diabetes, a condition that is increasingly affecting younger age groups, including children and teens.
The study’s lead author, Professor Barbara Gower from the University of Alabama, explained that beta cells play a crucial role in managing blood sugar levels. “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,” Gower stated. Beta cells, which release insulin in response to rising blood glucose levels, are typically impaired in individuals with type 2 diabetes, leading to insufficient insulin production and poor blood sugar control. This impairment is often attributed to high carbohydrate consumption, especially foods high on the glycemic index, such as white bread, pastries, and sugary cereals. These “empty carbs” can cause blood sugar and insulin levels to spike rapidly, burdening beta cells and diminishing their effectiveness over time.
The research team conducted a 12-week study involving 57 adults with type 2 diabetes. Participants were divided into two groups: one group followed a low-carb diet, while the other followed a high-carb diet. Those on the low-carb plan consumed meals with just 9% of their calories from carbohydrates and 65% from fats. In contrast, the high-carb group’s meals consisted of 55% carbohydrates and 20% fats. All meals were provided to participants to ensure accuracy in dietary intake, eliminating any variations that could arise from personal food choices. At the beginning and end of the study, researchers measured participants’ beta-cell function and insulin secretion.
The findings were striking: the low-carb group exhibited substantial improvements in beta-cell response compared to the high-carb group. Specifically, the low-carb participants experienced a two-fold increase in acute beta-cell responsiveness, and maximal beta-cell response improved by 22%. These results suggest that a low-carb diet could potentially reverse some of the cellular dysfunction associated with type 2 diabetes. Prof. Gower noted, “People with mild type 2 diabetes who reduce their carbohydrate intake may be able to discontinue medication and enjoy eating meals and snacks that are higher in protein and meet their energy needs.”
Notably, the study also found differences in beta-cell response improvement between Black and white participants. Black participants on a low-carb diet showed a 110% increase in acute beta-cell response, while white participants experienced a 48% increase in maximal beta-cell response compared to their high-carb counterparts. While the exact reasons for these variations are not entirely understood, these findings open the door to further research on how ethnicity might influence dietary impacts on diabetes management.
The emphasis on a low-carb diet as a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes challenges the long-standing focus on medication as the primary management strategy. Typically, diabetes management involves a combination of lifestyle changes and medications designed to lower blood sugar levels. However, these drugs do not address the underlying cause of beta-cell dysfunction. In contrast, a low-carbohydrate diet seems to allow beta cells to recover to a certain extent, helping the body regain some of its natural ability to manage blood glucose. This offers hope for individuals with type 2 diabetes to achieve remission or at least manage the disease more effectively without medication.
Prof. Gower and her team emphasize that more research is needed to fully understand the implications of a low-carb diet on long-term beta-cell function and diabetes remission. However, the findings offer a promising alternative for people with type 2 diabetes who want to explore lifestyle-based solutions for disease management.
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