Although diabetes patients are advised to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, there has never been an explanation of whether reducing carbs can benefit pre-diabetes and diabetes that aren’t taking medication. However, a new study by Tulane University researchers has established that a low-carb diet can help individuals with un-medicated diabetes and pre-diabetes in lowering blood sugar.
Low carb diet can lower sugar levels in prediabetic and diabetic individuals
The researchers came to this conclusion by comparing two groups. One group changed to a low-carb diet, and the other maintained their usual diet. Compared to regular dieting after six months, those on a low diet demonstrated a decrease in hemoglobin A1C, which is a measure of levels of blood glucose. . Along with losing weight, patients who followed a low-carb regimen also had a lower fasting blood sugar level
Lead study author Kirsten Dorans said that a maintained low-carb diet could be useful in preventing and management of Type II diabetes. Still, more research on the same is necessary.
Diabetes is a condition that results due to the body’s failure to utilize insulin properly, thus affecting glucose level regulation. Approximately 37 million people in the US live with diabetes, with 90% of those having Type II diabetes.
Study important for individuals whose A1c levels are higher
This research is especially important for prediabetic people whose A1c readings are higher than typical but below what medical professionals deem to be diabetes. According to the CDC, 96 million people in the US have pre-diabetes, with over 80% of those people being uninformed that they have the condition. But because most people with pre-diabetes don’t use drugs to control their glucose levels, a balanced diet becomes even more crucial.
The project included patients whose sugar levels varied from prediabetic to diabetic but who weren’t using medications. The low-carb group had a 0.23% drop in A1c levels than the individuals on a usual diet.
Dorans concluded that the findings don’t prove that a low-carb diet could prevent diabetes. However, it opens up the potential for more research on how to mitigate risks in prediabetic individuals.
