Short-term effects of severe dietary carbohydrate-restriction advice in Type 2 diabetes--a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to examine the effects of a 3-month programme of dietary advice to restrict carbohydrate intake compared with reduced-portion, low-fat advice in obese subjects with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
One hundred and two patients with Type 2 diabetes were recruited across three centres and randomly allocated to receive group education and individual dietary advice. Weight, glycaemic control, lipids and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Dietary quality was assessed at the end of study.


RESULTS
Weight loss was greater in the low-carbohydrate (LC) group (-3.55 +/- 0.63, mean +/- sem) vs. -0.92 +/- 0.40 kg, P = 0.001) and cholesterol : high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio improved (-0.48 +/- 0.11 vs. -0.10 +/- 0.10, P = 0.01). However, relative saturated fat intake was greater (13.9 +/- 0.71 vs. 11.0 +/- 0.47% of dietary intake, P < 0.001), although absolute intakes were moderate.


CONCLUSIONS
Carbohydrate restriction was an effective method of achieving short-term weight loss compared with standard advice, but this was at the expense of an increase in relative saturated fat intake.
Daly
M E
ME
Diabetes and Vascular Health Centre, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust, Exeter, UK. m.e.daly@exeter.ac.uk
Paisey
R
R
Paisey
R
R
Millward
B A
BA
Eccles
C
C
Williams
K
K
Hammersley
S
S
MacLeod
K M
KM
Gale
T J
TJ
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D002784:Cholesterol