The study, conducted in Indiana in partnership with Indiana University Health, and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research publications, looked at 262 people with type 2 diabetes who were also overweight. Each participant restricted their carbohydrate intake to 30 grams or less per day, and they increased fat and protein intake. This practice induces what is known as “nutritional ketosis” and is considered a ketogenic diet, forcing the body to burn fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
According to Diabetes.co.uk, “Previous studies have shown that such ketogenic diets can improve insulin sensitivity and bring many other benefits. However, most studies done to date using them involved much smaller groups of people and often excluded those on insulin.”
Patients taking part in the low-carb trial were provided with “intensive nutrition and behavioral counseling, digital coaching and education platform, and physician-guided medication management,” according to the study.
The study lasted for ten weeks and participants changed their diets, but did not make any other changes to their lifestyle such as increasing physical activity. By the end of the study, the results noted that “HbA1c level was reduced by 1.0%, and the percentage of individuals with an HbA1c level of <6.5% increased to 56.1% [147 out of the 262].”
Almost 90% of the participants were taking at least one diabetes medication at the start of the trial. By the end of the trial 56.8% had reduced one or more diabetes medications or eliminated one altogether.
“In terms of weight loss,” Diabetes.co.uk reported “participants lost about 7.2 per cent of body mass. There were no reports of severe hypoglycemia during the time the study lasted for.”