THE ESSENTIAL
- Pre-diabetes corresponds to too high blood sugar, which exposes you to a high risk of diabetes.
- Among the foods recommended in a low-carb diet, scientists cite salmon, cauliflower, avocado, meat, plain yogurt and green vegetables.
Eating a balanced diet is good for your health: this message is widely known. But a quality diet is also a way to prevent certain diseases. “Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) does not occur suddenly. It is preceded by a more or less long phase of glycemic dysregulation, silent and reversible by the appropriate lifestyle and dietary measures.explains the Federation of Diabetics. L’harvard university shares the encouraging results of a study devoted to the impact of a low carbohydrate diet on the diabetes.
Pre-diabetes: what is a low-carb diet
Posted in JAMA Networkthe medical trial brought together 150 people with prediabetes untreated or mild diabetes, all were overweight. For six months, half of the participants followed a low carbohydrate diet, and the other half maintained their eating habits. During the first three months, participants on the low-carb diet had to keep carbohydrate levels below 40g per day, the equivalent of the amount in an apple. Then, from the fourth to the sixth month, the threshold was 60 grams per day. Instead of carbohydrates, participants were encouraged to consume protein and healthy fats, such as vegetables, fish, poultry, eggs, olive oil, nuts, and some cheese. “They were advised to limit or avoid other dairy products, fruits, legumes, beans and grains.”says the Harvard article.
Low carbohydrate diet: what impact on pre-diabetes?
Blood tests were taken between three and six months following the start of the trial. “This study clearly shows that a really, really low carb diet is effective in reducing A1C levels, which is a measure of blood sugar levels over the previous three months.“says Dr. Giulio Romeo, Associate Medical Director of Adult Diabetes at Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center. blood sugar fasting also decreased, and the participants lost weight, compared to the group who had not changed their habits. According to the authors, these various improvements reduced the risk of developing diabetes by almost 60% over the next three years.
Should you adopt a low carbohydrate diet in case of pre-diabetes?
For the moment, the results of this study must be confirmed by larger and longer studies. Dr. Giulio Romeo points out that the recently published test does not allow to know the durability of this régime. “A study of 12 or 18 months would be welcome“, he believes.
Also, not everyone will be able to reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed daily so drastically. “But cutting some carbs might have benefits for blood sugar and weight control“, says Dr. Romeo.
On a daily basis, we consume carbohydrates in different forms: fruits, sweets, bread, starches, etc., and in large quantities. A small reduction might have significant impacts. “Not only can it reduce the risk of diabetes, but it can also help with weight loss.“, he concludes.
