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.

Old stone age diets lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes

This study was published in Cardiovascular Diabetology 2009 Jul 16;8:35

Study title and authors:

Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study.

Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahrén B, Branell UC, Pålsson G, Hansson A, Söderström M, Lindeberg S.

Source

Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00 Lund, Sweden. Tommy.Jonsson@med.lu.se

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19604407

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of a Paleolithic "Old Stone Age" diet and a low fat diabetes diet in patients with type II diabetes not treated with insulin. The study include 13 type II diabetic patients who consumed each diet for three months.

The diets comprised of:

(i) "Old stone age diet". 32% carbohydrate, 24% protein 39% fat. Meat consumption was 90% higher, egg consumption 163% higher and cholesterol consumption was 58% higher on the "old stone age diet" compared to the low fat diabetes diet. Also no sweetened drinks were consumed.

(ii) Low fat diabetes diet. 42% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 34% fat. Cereals consumption was 1463% higher, bread consumption 240% higher and potato consumption was 116% higher on the low fat diabetes diet compared to the "old stone age diet." Also 38 grams per day of sweetened drinks were consumed.

The study found:

(a) Compared to the diabetes diet, the old stone age diet resulted in 0.4% lower HbA1c levels.

(b) Compared to the diabetes diet, the old stone age diet resulted in 0.4 mmol/l (35 mg/dL) lower triglyceride levels.

(c) Compared to the diabetes diet, the old stone age diet resulted in 4 mmHg lower diastolic blood pressure levels.

(d) Compared to the diabetes diet, the old stone age diet resulted in an extra 3 kg in weight loss.

(e) Compared to the diabetes diet, the old stone age diet resulted in .08 mmol/l (3 mg/dL) higher levels of high density lipoprotrin (HDL) cholesterol.

All the measurements above show, that for patients with type II diabetes, the "old stone age diet" lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes compared to a low fat diabetes diet.

Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, similar in composition to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association, have deleterious health effects when consumed by patients with type 2 diabetes

This study was published in the American Journal of Medicine 1987 Feb;82(2):213-20

Study title and authors:

Deleterious metabolic effects of high-carbohydrate, sucrose-containing diets in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Coulston AM, Hollenbeck CB, Swislocki AL, Chen YD, Reaven GM.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3544839

The effects of variations in dietary carbohydrate and fat intake were studied in patients with type 2 diabetes. Two test diets were utilized, and they were consumed over two 15-day periods. One diet was low in fat and high in carbohydrate, and corresponded closely to recent recommendations made by the American Diabetes Association, the other diet was higher in fat.

The diets consisted 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) Unhealthy high glucose and insulin levels were significantly higher when patients consumed the low fat diet compared to the high fat diet.
(b) Unhealthy high triglyceride levels were higher when patients consumed the low fat diet compared to the high fat diet.
(c) Levels of the healthy high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were reduced when patients consumed the low fat diet compared to the high fat diet.

The results of this study document that low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, similar in composition to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association, have deleterious health effects when consumed by patients with type 2 diabetes.

High-fat, carbohydrate-restricted diets are a superior treatment option for type 2 diabetes compared to a low-calorie, low fat diet

This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2003 May 22;348(21):2074-81

Study title and authors:

A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity.

Samaha FF, Iqbal N, Seshadri P, Chicano KL, Daily DA, McGrory J, Williams T, Williams M, Gracely EJ, Stern L.

Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA. rick.samaha@med.va.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12761364

This study investigated the effects of a carbohydrate-restricted diet or a calorie- and fat-restricted diet on severely obese people. The trial lasted for six months and included 132 severely obese subjects with an average body-mass index of 43 and a high prevalence of diabetes (39 percent) or the metabolic syndrome (43 percent).

The subjects were assigned to either of two diets:
(i) The subjects assigned to the low-fat diet received instruction in accordance with the obesity-management guidelines of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, including caloric restriction sufficient to create a deficit of 500 calories per day, with 30 percent or less of total calories derived from fat. (Low fat diet).
(ii) The subjects assigned to the low-carbohydrate diet were instructed to restrict carbohydrate intake to 30 g per day or less. No instruction on restricting total fat intake was provided. (High fat diet).


The study found:
(a) Those on the high fat diet lost an extra 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) compared to those on the low fat diet.
(b) The high unhealthy triglyceride levels of those on the high fat diet decreased by an extra 31 mg/dL (.35 mmol/l) compared to those on the low fat diet.
(c) The high unhealthy Hb1AC levels decreased by .6% in those on the high fat diet, whereas Hb1AC levels remained the same in those on the low fat diet.
(d) The unhealthy high glucose levels of those on the high fat diet decreased by an extra 9 mg/dL (.5 mmol/l) compared to those on the low fat diet.
(e) There was a greater increase in insulin sensitivity in those on the high fat diet compared to those on the low fat diet.


The results of this study show how a high-fat, carbohydrate-restricted diet is a superior treatment option for type 2 diabetes compared to a low-calorie, low fat diet.

High-carbohydrate, low-fat diets increase the risk of heart disease in diabetic patients

This study was published in Diabetes Care 1989 Feb;12(2):94-101

Study title and authors:

Persistence of hypertriglyceridemic effect of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets in NIDDM patients.

Coulston AM, Hollenbeck CB, Swislocki AL, Reaven GM.

Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2539286

Coulston notes that although low-fat high-carbohydrate diets are recommended for patients with diabetes in an effort to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, the results of short-term studies have shown that these diets can actually lead to an increased risk of heart disease.

In this study Coulston observed the effects of such diets compared to higher-fat diets over a longer period of 6 weeks in diabetic patients.

 

The diets were either:

• 60% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 20% fat (high-carbohydrate diet).
• 40% carbohydrate, 20% protein, 40% fat (high-fat diet).

The study found:

• The (bad) blood glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly elevated throughout the day when patients consumed the high-carbohydrate diet.
• The (bad) triglyceride concentrations increased by 30% when patients consumed the high-carbohydrate diet.
• The (bad) Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol was significantly increased when patients consumed the high-carbohydrate diet.
• The (good) High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were significantly decreased when patients consumed the high-carbohydrate diet.

This study shows that a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet increases the risk of heart disease in diabetic patients.