Published yesterday in Practical Diabetes -A low carb approach in General Practice

Abstract 

Patients with diabetes have long been exhorted to give up sugar, encouraged instead to take in fuel as complex carbohydrate such as the starch found in bread, rice or pasta (especially if ‘wholemeal’). However, bread has a higher glycaemic index than table sugar itself. There are no essential nutrients in starchy foods and diabetics struggle to deal with the glycaemic load they bring. The authors question why carbohydrate need form a major part of the diet at all? The central goal of achieving substantial weight loss has tended to be overlooked. The current pilot study explores the results of a low carbohydrate diet for a case series of 19 type 2 diabetics and pre-diabetics over an 8 month period in a suburban general practice.

A low carbohydrate diet was observed to bring about major benefits. Blood glucose control improved (HbA1c 51±14 to 40±4mmol/mol; p<0.001).By the end of the study period only 2 patients remained with an abnormal HbAic (>42mmol/mol), even these two had seen an average drop of 23.9mmol/mol. Weight fell from 100.2±16.4 to 91.0±17.1kg (p<0.0001) and waist circumference decreased from 120.2±9.6 to 105.6±11.5cm (p<0.0001). Simultaneously, blood pressure improved (systolic 148±17 to 133±15; p<0.005; and diastolic 91±8 to 83±11 mmHg; p<0.05). Serum gamma GT decreased from 75.2±54.7 to 40.6±29.2 U/l (p<0.005). Total serum cholesterol decreased from 5.5±1.0 to 4.7±1.2mmol/l (p<0.01). This approach is easy to implement in general practice, brings rapid weight loss and improvement in HbA1c. The great majority of patients find a low carbohydrate diet easy to live with.

Full article coming soon.

Eddie