Short-Term Benefits of Low-Carb Compared to High-Carb Diet in Type 1 Diabetes

Shrimp Salad

A scientific study published 2017 compared a high-carb (at least 250 grams/day) to low-carb diet (50 grams or less) in 10 patients with type 1 diabetics. The low-carb diet yielded more time in the normal blood sugar range, less hypoglycemia, and less variability of glucose levels.

I assume the low-carb diet required less insulin, but I don’t know since I haven’t seen the full article. Let me know if you can confirm.

In case you’re wondering, the Paleobetic diet provides about 60 grams of carb daily.

Here’s the abstract:

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) vs a low carbohydrate diet (LCD) on glycaemic variables and cardiovascular risk markers in patients with type 1 diabetes. Ten patients (4 women, insulin pump-treated, median ± standard deviation [s.d.] age 48 ± 10 years, glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] 53 ± 6 mmol/mol [7.0% ± 0.6%]) followed an isocaloric HCD (≥250 g/d) for 1 week and an isocaloric LCD (≤50 g/d) for 1 week in random order. After each week, we downloaded pump and sensor data and collected fasting blood and urine samples. Diet adherence was high (225 ± 30 vs 47 ± 10 g carbohydrates/d; P < .0001). Mean sensor glucose levels were similar in the two diets (7.3 ± 1.1 vs 7.4 ± 0.6 mmol/L; P = .99). The LCD resulted in more time with glucose values in the range of 3.9 to 10.0 mmol/L (83% ± 9% vs 72% ± 11%; P = .02), less time with values ≤3.9 mmol/L (3.3% ± 2.8% vs 8.0% ± 6.3%; P = .03), and less glucose variability (s.d. 1.9 ± 0.4 vs 2.6 ± 0.4 mmol/L; P = .02) than the HCD. Cardiovascular markers were unaffected, while fasting glucagon, ketone and free fatty acid levels were higher at end of the LCD week than the HCD week. In conclusion, the LCD resulted in more time in euglycaemia, less time in hypoglycaemia and less glucose variability than the HCD, without altering mean glucose levels.

Steve Parker, M.D.