United States – In Type- II diabetes, the pancreatic beta cells fail to respond as they should to blood sugar occurrence.
Low-Carb Diet May Restore Beta Cells
However, new information seems to imply that what could be wrong is beta cell dysfunction, which can be amended by changing to a low- low-carbohydrate diet that would enhance the patient’s health, as reported by HealthDay.
“People with type-II diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet can recover their beta cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with medication,” noted lead study author Barbara Gower of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The findings suggest that “people with mild type 2 diabetes who reduce their carbohydrate intake may be able to discontinue medication and enjoy eating meals and snacks that are protein rich and meet their energy needs,” Gower added in a news release from the Endocrine Society.
Study Highlights
As the research team said, type 2 diabetes mellitus, which has surpassed other types and is currently the most widespread, is generated, among other factors, by a dysfunction and a decrease in beta cells.
Pancreas produces the Beta Cell and manages the secretion of insulin, the hormone that humans require to regulate their blood sugar levels.
Her team hypothesized that damage to beta cells might be partially attributed to carbohydrate consumption and carbohydrate-containing foods like bread and pasta.
Low-Carb Diet Improves Beta Cell
In the new study, the Birmingham’s team sampled 57 white and Black adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, then assigned to one of two diets. Specific patients consumed low carbohydrate (9% for carbohydrates and 65% for fat) while other ones consumed high carbohydrate (55% for carbohydrates and 20% for fat) diet.
To the researchers’ chagrin, even people on low-carb diets experienced enhanced beta cell function – demonstrations the team detailed Oct. 22 in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinolog & Metabolism.
As to the reasons for such difference are still unknown, Black participants got even more improvement to their health outcomes than White people.
Future Research Needed
To what extent of increase could shifting to low carbohydrate diets translate for those with type 2 diabetic diets? Only time will tell that Gower got to say, as reported by HealthDay.
“Further research is needed to determine if a low-carbohydrate diet can restore beta-cell function and lead to remission in people with type 2 diabetes,” she said.