New research has shown that strictly limiting carbohydrates in your daily meals can help you to reverse type 2 diabetes, but the benefits may fade away over time.
Australian researchers analyzed the findings of 23 small studies and found that low-carb diets worked much better than other eating plans when it comes to losing weight and sending type 2 diabetes into remission.
The findings were found to be true for at least six months. After a year or so, most of the benefits of the low-carb diet had vanished.
Senior researcher Dr. Grant Brinkworth said it is unclear why the benefits fade away over time, but there is a possibility that people find it tough sticking to the diet.
“Diet changes, in general, are often hard to sustain,” said Dr. Brinkworth, who is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Health and Biosecurity, Australian.
However, he explained that people with type 2 diabetes might be able to start losing weight and have good control over blood sugar levels with a low-carb diet.
“The findings of this study suggest, at least in the short term up to six months, that people with type 2 diabetes could consider a low-carb diet as a treatment option,” Dr. Brinkworth said.
According to the CDC, the United States alone has more than 34 million people with diabetes, with the majority of them have type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity. And it has been found that simple diet changes, exercise, and weight loss could help manage the metabolic condition.
Previous studies have found that low-carb diets often promote weight loss and keeping blood sugar under control; however, how effective they are in the long run is still unclear.
The new analysis, published last week in the journal BMJ, found that 57% of people on low-carb plans had gone into remission, which means that an individual’s average blood sugar in the last three months was below the threshold for diagnosing diabetes.
However, after a year, most of the benefits of low-carb diets had vanished.
Although low-carb diets did appear safe in the short term, some people on the diets showed an increase in their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Dr. Brinkworth said it is unclear, though, what that could mean for their health. The article appeared on Medicine Net.
