- More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabeteswhich often results from excess body mass and inactivity.
- Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body no longer responds to insulin and commonly develops after the age of 45, although it is becoming more common in younger people.
- The condition is manageable, but if neglected it can cause serious health problems and even be fatal.
- A new study found that by eating a plant-based, low-carb diet, a person could lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
According to the cdcMore than 37 million adults in the United States have diabetes, and of these, about 95% have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) develops when a person’s body stops responding to insulin (the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels) produced by cells in your pancreas.
Instead, people with Diabetes type 1, which is believed to be caused by an autoimmune reaction, does not produce insulin. They should check their blood glucose regularly and use insulin to keep it within a healthy range.
A recent study has suggested that a low carbohydrate diet may decrease the risk of T2D. However, this study was unable to differentiate whether this finding was entirely due to the reduction in carbohydrates or simply the reduction in calories.
Dr Eamon Lairdvisiting researcher at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, who was not involved in the study, said today’s medical news: “It’s a difficult topic. We already know that eating whole grains and plant-based foods is good for reducing the risk of diabetes.”
Now, A studywhich has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, has suggested that it is not the low-carb diet but the type of non-carb food a person eats that affects the risk of developing T2D.
T2D usually develops slowly and may have few symptoms at first, so it may go undetected for some time. A person’s risk of developing T2D increases due to factors such as:
- be over 45 years old
- having a family history of the condition
- little or no exercise
- being obese or overweightparticularly having excess weight around the stomach
- low HDL levels, or ‘good’ cholesterol
- high levels of fat triglycerides.
People can reduce their risk of developing T2D by maintaining a healthy weight, improving their diet, and staying active.
the CDC recommends reduce intake of processed foods, trans fats, and alcoholic and sugary beverages, and opt for non-starchy vegetables, fruits, lean protein, whole grains, water, and sugar-free beverages to help reduce risk.
The prospective cohort study was conducted in 203,541 men and women in the US over 30 years. All participants were free of T2D, cardiovascular disease, and cancers at the start of the study.
Every four years, the participants completed dietary assessments using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The researchers created scores based on the percentage of total energy each person got from their daily intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates. They then divided the participants into five groups.
The low carb group got about 40% of their total calories from carbs.
The researchers then assessed the quality of the diets, classifying 18 nutrient groups, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, sweets and desserts, animal fat, dairy, and meat.
“The advantages of the study are the large numbers and the long time scale, but the exact amount of carbohydrates they ate each day was not measured, which could lead to some inaccuracies.”
—Dr Eamon Laird
In general, a low-carb diet did not reduce the risk of T2D. However, when dietary protein sources were considered separately, the researchers found considerable differences in T2D risk.
Those who included mainly plant protein in their diet had a 6% lower risk of T2D over the 30 years.
For people who restricted their consumption of refined carbohydrates, the risk of type 2 diabetes was further reduced, 15% less than those who ate a normal diet.
In contrast, those on a low-carb diet who ate mostly animal protein had a 35% increased risk of T2D, which increased to 39% in those who also ate a diet low in whole grains.
Dr. Laird noted the lack of specificity in regards to the protein sources consumed.
“From the brief summary, there is no information on the types of protein in animal-based foods (heavily processed generally means more fat and sugar vs. organic/unprocessed, which has less fat and sugar). We also don’t know what other lifestyle factors were taken into account? he said.
Meanwhile, the study’s lead author, Yeli Wang, noted that her observations were made in a cohort that was primarily white. Studies have shown that the risk of T2D is higher in certain other ethnic groups, particularly African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. In the US, T2D is almost twice as common in African Americans as it is in non-Hispanic whites.
“We wonder if our results could be generalized to other ethnic groups. We have to look at that,” Dr. Wang said.
What is known is that maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet with few processed foods help reduce your risk of developing T2D.
The American Heart Association recommends including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and healthy sources of protein, such as seafood, legumes and nuts, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and lean meats. It encourages choosing minimally processed foods over ultra-processed foods and limiting sugar, salt, and alcohol.
It may be that opting for plant-based proteins, such as nuts, lentils, beans, and soy, instead of animal proteins, could further reduce that risk.
“Some studies have associated more plant-based diets with healthier lifestyles (such as less smoking, drinking, more physical activity, more use of supplements) which impacts [the] diabetes risk. Therefore, we need to see more information first before jumping to conclusions.”
—Dr Eamon Laird
