A new study suggests that a low-carbohydrate diet may help adults with type 2 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control and reduce diabetes medication.
The study is published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Compared to a high-carbohydrate diet, the restricted carbohydrate intake improved the function of beta cells in the pancreas during the 12-week trial, the researchers said. Beta cells produce and secrete insulin, which regulates blood sugar.
Corresponding author of the study, Marian Urchisian, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said that beta-cell failure is responsible for the development of type 2 diabetes, so it is important to stabilize it.