Can low-carb dieting potentially impact your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even without weight loss? According to Medical News Today, the answer is yes! Check out the information below to learn more.
A Look at the Research
Ohio State University has released a study that shows following a low-carb diet might be able to help reduce the risk of developing diabetes, particularly amongst those with metabolic syndrome who are at a greater risk of ending up with a diabetes diagnosis. On top of that, individuals can reduce their risk without having to shed any pounds. Pretty incredible!
Put simply, this study involved six women and 10 men with metabolic syndrome. Following them for four months, the experts told each person to follow a randomly assigned diet designed to last roughly one month. There were a total of three different diets used, and they were a high-carb diet (57% carbs), a moderate-carb diet (32% carbs), and a low-carb diet (6% carbs).
How did the experts ensure none of the people in the study would lose weight? Well, it’s pretty simple: by customizing every meal to suit each individual’s caloric requirements.
Note: the fat in the diets varied from one to the next. While the low-carb diet consisted of 74% fat, the high-carb diet was 23% fat, and the moderate-carb diet was 48% fat.
The Results of the Study into Low-Carb Dieting
Researchers were able to check in with the study’s participants after they had followed each diet for a month. They checked the people’s cholesterol and found that the low-carb diet helped improve cholesterol, while also reducing triglycerides. There were also improvements in the people’s blood sugar, and half of the people weren’t even diagnosed with metabolic syndrome anymore after a month on the low-carb diet.
Note: after following the high-carb diet for four weeks, one individual was no longer categorized as having metabolic syndrome. Plus, three individuals were no longer diagnosed with metabolic syndrome after following the moderate-carb diet for a month. Experts believe this is because, compared to how the participants used to eat, even the high-carb diet in the study was lower in carbohydrates than what was normally eaten.
The Bottom Line About Low-Carb Dieting
Individuals who reduced their intake of carbs did show improvements in their ability to treat metabolic syndrome, and in their risk of developing diabetes, so low-carb dieting might be worth a try. However, the study was really small, with only 16 people, so more research into this area will be necessary to learn even more about this topic, and whether or not a low-carb diet would be safe or appropriate to follow long-term.