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Low-carb diets have been all the rage for a while and have always been quite controversial. On the one hand, many people share anecdotal stories about how low-carb fad diets like keto helped them lose weight. But on the other hand, super restrictive diets like these cut out food groups that are super healthy, like whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables. Not only does this make them difficult to follow, but it can also make it difficult to get enough fiber and meet your nutrient needs.
However, new research published on October 26, 2022 in Diabetes and Endocrinology found that there might be some benefits to reducing your carbohydrate intake if you have diabetes or are at risk. This is what you need to know.
What the study found
For this randomized clinical trial, researchers recruited 150 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 in New Orleans, LA. Seventy-two percent of the participants were women and 59% of the participants were black. They took several biomarkers related to diabetes, such as hemoglobin A1C, fasting blood glucose and weight. The researchers then divided the participants into a low-carb dietary intervention group or a control group. The control group was instructed to consume their usual diet.
This intervention part of the study lasted six months and was divided into two phases for the intervention group. For the first three months, the diets were limited to 40 grams of net carbs per day; during months four through six, diets were limited to 60 grams of net carbohydrates per day. It is important to note that the study used net carbohydrate intake, that is, the amount of total carbohydrates minus carbohydrates from fiber. The rationale for net carbs is that fiber isn’t digested into usable energy for our cells beyond our gut, so it doesn’t have the same impact on blood glucose as other non-fiber carbs.
After the six-month trial, the low-carbohydrate diet intervention group had significant reductions in hemoglobin A1C levels (about 0.23%), fasting blood glucose levels (about 10.3 mg/dL) and body weight (about 5.9 kilograms on average or about 13 pounds).
meaning
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends that about 45 to 65% of calories come from carbohydrates. For a person on a 2,000 calorie diet, this would be about 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates per day. By comparison, the carbohydrate intake limits set by the study are quite low. However, the use of net carbohydrates could have allowed the participants to enjoy more high fiber foods like green leafy vegetables, legumes, and berries to help make your diet more balanced and easier to follow. That said, the carb limits they set would still be very difficult for most adults to follow. And with such a small sample size, larger-scale research is needed to support their findings for the general population.
“The key message is that a low-carbohydrate diet, if maintained, could be a useful approach to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes, although more research is needed,” said lead author Kirsten Dorans, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Tulane University School of Medicine. Public Health and Tropical Medicine in a press release.
The bottom line
New research from the Tulane University School of Public Health found that those who limited their intake to 40 to 60 grams of net carbs per day had significant reductions in hemoglobin A1C, fasting blood glucose, and body weight. compared to those who consumed their usual dietary pattern with no restrictions. While these findings add to a growing research base on the benefits of low-carb diets for diabetes, more research is needed to substantiate their findings. If you have diabetes, prediabetes, or are at higher risk, focus on maintaining a consistent carbohydrate intake throughout the day, regardless of how much you eat. Also, talk to your health care team to identify the right carbohydrate intake for you before making drastic changes to your lifestyle.
Related: Can you eat carbohydrates when you have diabetes? What dieticians have to say
