High-fat diets are better than high-carbohydrate diets in the treatment of type 2 diabetes

This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 1988 Sep 29;319(13):829-34

Study title and authors:

Comparison of a high-carbohydrate diet with a high-monounsaturated-fat diet in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Garg A, Bonanome A, Grundy SM, Zhang ZJ, Unger RH.

Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9052.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3045553

The study compared the effects of a high-carbohydrate diet with a high-fat diet in 10 patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin therapy. The patients were assigned to receive first one diet and then the other, each for 28 days.

The diets were:
(i) 60% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 25% fat (high carbohydrate diet).
(ii) 35% carbohydrate, 15% protein 50% fat (high fat diet).

The study found:
(a) As compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, the high-fat diet resulted in lower average glucose levels and reduced insulin requirements.
(b) As compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, the high-fat diet reduced unhealthy triglyceride levels by 25%.
(c) As compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, the high-fat diet reduced unhealthy lower very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels by 35%.
(d) As compared with the high-carbohydrate diet, the high-fat diet increased healthy high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels by 13%.

The results of this study indicate that a high-fat diet is better than a high-carbohydrate diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.