Adults with type 2 diabetes who consume a low-carbohydrate diet may have benefits in beta cell function, better manage their disease, and be able to stop their medications, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. It is said that there is. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Beta cells are endocrine cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels.
People with type 2 diabetes have a decreased beta cell response to blood sugar, probably due to eating too many carbohydrates. Beta cell failure or dysfunction along with insulin resistance contributes to the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes.
“This study shows that type 2 diabetic patients on a low-carbohydrate diet can recover their beta cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with drugs,” said study lead author Barbara Gower of the University of Alabama. the doctor said. Birmingham, Alabama. “Reducing carbohydrate intake in people with mild type 2 diabetes may allow them to stop their medications and enjoy meals and snacks that are high in protein and meet their energy needs.”
Researchers collected data from 57 white and black adults with type 2 diabetes, half on a low-carbohydrate diet and half on a high-carbohydrate diet, and found that beta-cell function at baseline and after 12 weeks was significantly improved. and examined insulin secretion.
Meals were provided to all participants. Participants on the carbohydrate-restricted diet consumed 9% carbohydrates and 65% fat, and participants on the high-carbohydrate diet consumed 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat.
The researchers found that acute beta-cell responses improved twofold and maximal beta-cell responses improved by 22% in people who ate low-carbohydrate versus high-carbohydrate diets. Within each racial group, black adults who consumed a low-carbohydrate diet had a 110% increase in acute beta-cell response, and white adults had a 48% increase in maximal beta-cell response compared to their respective adults who consumed a high-carbohydrate diet. did. carbohydrate diet.
“Further research is needed to determine whether a low-carbohydrate diet can restore beta cell function and lead to remission in patients with type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Gower said.
Other study authors include Amy Goss, Marian Yurchyshyn and William Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sarah Diemer of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Bhuvana Sunil of the University of Washington and Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington;
The study received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Center for Nutritional Obesity Research, the Center for Diabetes Research, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
About the Endocrine Society
Endocrinologists are at the heart of solving some of the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists dedicated to hormone research and physicians who treat people with hormone-related diseases.
The association has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses, and students from 122 countries. If you would like to learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, please visit our site www.endocrine.org. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter). @EndoSociety and @EndoMedia.
