A Pilot Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

The study focused on overweight individuals with BMI >25 and being treated with OHA (oral hypoglycemic agents) or insulin that were placed on a LCKD (low carbohydrate ketogenic diet) for 16 weeks. Anthropometric changes include: Body weight = -10%, BMI = -10%, Waist circumference = -7%, Body fat % = -3%, Systolic BP = -9%, Diastolic BP = -15%, Heart Rate = -12%, HDL = no change.

A Low-carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet to Treat Type 2 Diabetes

In a study of overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes, the LCKD (low carbohydrate ketogenic diet) improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes such that diabetes medications were discontinued or reduced in most participants. Other results include: mean body weight decreased by 6.6% and fasting serum triglyceride decreased 42%.

Effects of Two Weight-loss Diets on Health-related Quality of Life.

Mental aspects of HRQOL (health related quality of life) improved more in participants following an LCKD (low calorie ketogenic diet) than an LFD (low fat diet), possibly resulting from the LCKD’s composition, lack of explicit energy restriction, higher levels of satiety or metabolic effects. The factors analyzed were: Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning. The Physical Component Summary score improved similarly in both diet groups. Bodily Pain improved in the LFD group only, whereas the Role-Emotional and Mental Health subscales and the Mental Component Summary (MCS) score improved in the LCKD group only.

Comparison of a Very Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diet on Fasting Lipids, LDL Subclasses, Insulin Resistance, and Postprandial Lipemic Responses in Overweight Women

Compared to a low-fat weight loss diet, a short-term very low-carbohydrate diet did not lower LDL-C but did prevent the decline in HDL-C and resulted in improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese, but otherwise healthy women. Small decreases in body mass improved postprandial lipemia, and therefore cardiovascular risk, independent of diet composition.

Carbohydrate Restriction has a More Favorable Impact on the Metabolic Syndrome than a Low Fat Diet

Both interventions led to improvements in several metabolic markers, but subjects following the CRD had consistently reduced glucose (-12%) and insulin (-50%) concentrations, insulin sensitivity (-55%), weight loss (-10%), decreased adiposity (-14%), and more favorable triacylglycerol (TAG) (-51%), HDL-C (13%) and total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio (-14%) responses. In addition to these markers for MetS, the CRD subjects showed more favorable responses to alternative indicators of cardiovascular risk: postprandial lipemia (-47%), the Apo B/Apo A-1 ratio (-16%), and LDL particle distribution. The results support the use of dietary carbohydrate restriction as an effective approach to improve features of MetS and cardiovascular risk.