"As research supporting the benefits of low carb for diabetes continues to mount, this way of eating continues to find favour among mainstream diabetes organizations worldwide.
In April of 2019, The American Diabetes Association published a consensus report not only endorsing low carb as an option but also acknowledging that reducing carbohydrates is the most effective way to lower blood sugar, regardless of overall diet.
A short time earlier, Diabetes UK and Diabetes Australia also published reports that were favourable to low carb for people with diabetes.
Now, Diabetes Canada has released a paper supporting low-carb diets as an effective option for type 1 and type 2 diabetes management:
In their 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines, Diabetes Canada maintained its recommendation that people with diabetes should consume about 45-60% of their calories from carbs. This would be roughly 225-300 grams of carbs daily for someone eating about 2,000 calories a day.
But after reviewing the most up-to-date evidence and considering the recent shift in thinking among other diabetes organizations worldwide, Diabetes Canada is formally recognizing the benefits of low-carb diets for lowering blood sugar and managing weight.
One question people with diabetes — along with diabetes clinicians — may have is, “how low carb?” Admittedly, “low carb” is a pretty broad term. For some people, eating 130-150 grams of carbs per day might be considered low carb.
However, this report didn’t specify a minimum amount of carbs but limited the maximum amount to 130 grams. And the authors pointed out that very-low-carb diets (defined as less than 50 grams per day) may be particularly beneficial for those with diabetes:
The review further suggests that very low-carb diets may be superior to comparator (higher-carb) diets for improving glycemic control, body weight and can reduce the need for medications in the short term (up to 12 months).
The authors stated that more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of carb restriction for diabetes. They also emphasized that it’s very important for people with diabetes to work with their healthcare provider to manage insulin and other medications when eating low carb. Hypoglycemia is a major concern.
Yet the overall conclusion is decidedly supportive of carb restriction as a viable option:
Healthy low- or very-low-carb diets can be considered as one healthy eating pattern for individuals living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes for weight loss, improved glycemic control and/or to reduce the need for antihyperglycemic therapies.
At Diet Doctor, we applaud Diabetes Canada for this move. It’s encouraging to hear that Canadians with diabetes will be presented with a low-carb option that can help them achieve better blood sugar control with less medication, improve their health, and increase their quality of life.
And as a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator who has supported carb restriction for people with diabetes for more than nine years, I am thrilled that Canadian clinicians will be able to provide low-carb guidance to their patients without fear of deviating from standard recommendations."
The above from Diet Doctor site here
Diabetes News : Related Posts
New “real world” study confirms benefits of a self-selected low-carb lifestyle for type 2 diabetes - here
How Low Carb Can Help, plus a favourite low carb recipe - here
Introduction to low-carb for beginners - here
All the best Jan
21 comments:
Why can’t these studies advise one to lower the intake of vegetables? Carbs are soooo good. 😺
This is really interesting and informative...I will send my friend to read it, as she is diabetic. Thank you so much!😊😊
Hope you are enjoying the sun!
Hugs xxx
...life can be a juggling act!
Good that people are starting to see sense! Valerie
Thanks for sharing.
Interesting information, I'll be sharing with others, Thank You !
~Jo
I'm not diabetic, but have two cousins who are. I'll share this with them. Thanks, Jan!
xoxo
Thanks Jan! This post has so much good information, I'll be checking out more of the links too. Diabetes runs on my husbands side of the family so I'm always trying to sneak low carb recipes into our meal plans. Sometimes he doesn't even notice because the food is so good! He has a terrible sweet tooth so I've been starting to use monk fruit sugar replacement in some recipes. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, they help so much when I'm stuck for what to prepare. I've never done so much cooking in my life as in the past couple of months! Stay well! ~ Diane
Slowly and steadily the word is spreading.
I've struggled with Type II Diabetes since 2004... Once I lost weight and started exercising more --my Diabetes has been under control. I used to take Metformin for mine, but have taken no medication for several years...
I am living proof though --since I have been on several types of 'diets' off and on for years, that the Low Carb diet is the BEST one for not only weight loss but also for lowering one's A1c (Blood Sugar)....
My biggest problem with KETO was the fact that I 'need' more protein than KETO wants you to have. I also eat less fats... BUT---once I cut out the 'bad' carbs, my blood sugar really got better. AND --to this day, when I eat something like a baked potato or non-whole-grain pasta, etc.. --my Blood Glucose readings go up!!!!!! I have to watch the carbs every single day.
Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy
Lots of good information on a subject that can be confusing. I pulled your intro for beginners off on my desktop to save for making notes. Thank you!
Fantastic post. The men in my family tend to be diabetics. My dad and two brothers were and are type 1. Diet is so important and the carbs play a huge part in that.
Great post! Lots of important information. I try to have most of my diet consist of fruits and veggies- though I do have carbs each day. Limiting carbs does seem to help with weight. Thanks for sharing.
~Jess
However it is so hard to know how much carbs there are in foods. For example, I got two 1 lb bags of regular dry lentil, identical in every way but the info on carbs were very different for each. I wonder why? I have noticed that with different foods out there. So, how is the regular person counts carbs and knows that he or she is getting about 60 grams of carbs per meal? Well...that was what doctors used to recommend when I worked in a clinic years ago.
Thank you for a very informative and interesting article.
Angela said...
However it is so hard to know how much carbs there are in foods. For example, I got two 1 lb bags of regular dry lentil, identical in every way but the info on carbs were very different for each. I wonder why? I have noticed that with different foods out there. So, how is the regular person counts carbs and knows that he or she is getting about 60 grams of carbs per meal? Well...that was what doctors used to recommend when I worked in a clinic years ago
Hello Angela, many thanks for sharing your thoughts, comments and questions.
Yes, foods (even the same type) can differ in carbs and close reading of labels is always advised.
For instance lentils can range from between 22 - 60 g per 100g as detailed in this article here:
www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/carbs-in-lentils.php
In broad terms, carbohydrates have a large impact on blood glucose levels, protein much less, and fats have little if any effect.
An effective low carb diet (or perhaps we should refer to it as a 'lifestyle') is one which allows a person to maintain, most of the time, a healthy blood glucose level. The amount of carbs it contains will vary between individuals, depending mainly on personal choice, pancreatic function and insulin resistance. A possible range might be:
Low carb (ketogenic) 0-50g carbohydrate per day
Typical low carb 50-90g
Liberal low carb 90-130g
Moderate carb 130-170g
High carb 170g and more
There is more guidance about carb counting etc. in our post 'Introduction to low-carb for beginners' here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2016/05/introduction-to-low-carb-for-beginners.html
I do hope you find this helpful.
All the best Jan
Looks like my carb intake was about 35% today
It's a shame lowering carbs has been so late coming to the management party. No telling how long it'll take for this to work its way down to most patients.
Siempre interesante. Besos.
This type of diet is definitely the only one that helps to keep Neil's sugar readings under control, and yet his diabetic nurse still bangs on about 'little and often' which really does NOT work for him! xx
Thanks so much; this is of great interest to my husband, especially.
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