Summary: Diets low in animal-based carbohydrates were associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while diets low in plant-based carbohydrates were associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes.
Font: American Heart Association
When it comes to low-carb diets, it may be quality, not quantity, that matters most.
New research finds that diets low in animal-based carbohydrates were associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, while diets low in plant-based carbohydrates were associated with decreased risk of diabetes.
The research, recently presented in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions conference, is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“To prevent the risk of type 2 diabetes in generally healthy people without prediabetes or diabetes, the amount of carbohydrates might not matter as much as the quality of protein, fat and carbohydrate,” said study lead author Yeli Wang, researcher in the department of nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
“The key is to pay attention to the quality of the food.”
Low-carb diets are popular because research shows they can quickly lose weight in six to 12 months. However, it is not clear why they are so efficient for weight loss or how they affect long-term health. Diets that restrict carbohydrates increase fat and protein, and one theory is that this leads to a feeling of fullness, which helps reduce hunger. Another theory is that carbohydrate restriction increases the body’s metabolism and helps burn calories.
There are at least a dozen popular low-carb diets, including the ketogenic diet, which severely restricts carbs, and the Paleo diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lean meats and is based on foods that would have been available to humans. humans during the Paleolithic. Years.
Some studies have suggested that very-low-carbohydrate diets can improve blood glucose levels in people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. But the amount of carbohydrates consumed on these diets varies, and the emphasis on fat intake raises concerns about how diets can affect cholesterol levels and heart health.
The new study shows that some low-carb diets may be better than others, said Kristina Petersen, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
“There is no standard definition for a low-carb diet,” said Petersen, who was not involved in the research. “At first glance, they don’t meet dietary recommendations very well. What this study shows is that maybe they can, we just have to be aware of what’s in that diet.”
In the study, the researchers investigated the link between low-carb eating and the odds of developing type 2 diabetes, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
The analysis used dietary and medical data from 203,541 adults from three large national studies: the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The studies collectively covered a period from 1984 to 2017. Participants completed questionnaires every four years about the foods they ate and were followed for up to 30 years. None had diabetes at first.
For the new study, whether a person’s diet was considered low-carb was not defined by the exact amount of carbs they ate each day. Instead, the researchers created a score based on the percentage of total energy each person got from their daily intake of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Using these scores, the participants were divided into five equal groups. The lowest-carbohydrate group in the study got about 40% of their daily energy from carbohydrates, Wang said. (By contrast, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that carbohydrates account for between 45% and 65% of energy intake).
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To assess the quality of the diets, the foods people ate were classified into 18 groups: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, tea and coffee, fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks , sweets and desserts, animal fats, dairy products, eggs, fish or shellfish, meat and various foods of animal origin.
Preliminary data shows that people in the low-carb group who ate more protein and fat from plant sources had a 6 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and if they further reduced sugar and other refined carbohydrates while eating, they had a 15% less risk.
By contrast, the lowest-carb group who ate diets that emphasized animal protein and fat had a 35% increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and a 39% increased risk if their diets also minimized whole grains.
Wang said that one of the study’s weaknesses was that most of the people in it were white.
“We wondered if our results could be generalized to other ethnic groups,” he said. “We need to look at that, as well as people who consistently ate very low-carb diets, like the ketogenic diet.”
The American Heart Association recommends following a diet that includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and healthy sources of protein, such as fish and shellfish, 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.
About this diet and diabetes research news
Author: laura williamson
Font: American Heart Association
Contact: Laura Williamson – American Heart Association
Image: The image is in the public domain.
original research: The findings will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions conference.
