Low fat diets induce unhealthy effects in type two diabetics

This study was published in Diabetes Care 1990 Apr;13(4):446-8

Study title and authors:

Effects of changing amount of carbohydrate in diet on plasma lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in type II diabetic patients.

Rivellese AA, Giacco R, Genovese S, Patti L, Marotta G, Pacioni D, Annuzzi G, Riccardi G.

Institute of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, 2nd Medical School, Naples, Italy.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2318105

This 15 day study investigated the effects of a low fat diet and a high fat diet on eight nonobese, mildly type two diabetic patients, average age 45 years old.

The two diets comprised of:
(i) 60% carbohydrate, 20 % protein, 20% fat (low fat diet).
(ii) 40% carbohydrate, 20% protein. 40% fat (high fat diet).

The study found:
(a) Triglycerides were 24% higher on the low fat diet.
(b) Apolipoprotein CII levels were 15% on the low fat diet. (Apolipoprotein CII (apoCII) is a protein found in large fat particles absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. It is also found in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol. High levels of apoCII are associated with angina and heart attacks).
(c) Very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels were 43% higher on the low fat diet. (High VLDL levels are linked to diabetes. See here).

The results from the study show that a low fat diet induces harmful effects on cholesterol values in nonobese, mildly type two diabetic patients.