By Stephen Beech via SWNS
People with type 2 diabetes who stick to a low-carb diet may be able to stop taking medication, suggests a new study.
American researchers found that low-carbohydrate diets may improve beta-cell function in people with the common condition that affects around one in 15 of the world’s population.
They explained that beta-cells are endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes most often develops in people aged 45 or older, but more and more children, teens and young adults are also developing the disease, according to the study published online by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
People with type 2 diabetes have a compromised beta-cell response to blood sugar, possibly due in part to eating too many carbs.
Doctors say beta-cell failure or insufficiency on top of insulin resistance is responsible for the development and progression of type 2 diabetes.
Study lead author Professor Barbara Gower, of the University of Alabama, said: “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.
“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.”
The research team gathered data from 57 adults 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. All of the participants’ meals were provided.
People on the carb-restricted diet ate 9% carbohydrates and 65% fat, while those on the high-carb diet ate 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat.
The team found that those on a low-carb, compared to a high-carb, diet saw improvements in the acute and maximal beta-cell responses that were two-fold and 22% greater, respectively.
Black participants on a low-carb diet saw 110% greater improvements in the acute beta-cell response while white adults had improvements in the maximal beta-cell response that were 48% greater than their respective counterparts on the high-carb diet.
Gower added: “Further research is needed to determine if a low-carbohydrate diet can restore beta-cell function and lead to remission in people with type 2 diabetes.”
