The Potential of Low-Carbohydrate Diets to Reduce CVD Risk

Consuming low-carbohydrate diets can reduce inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes which may decrease the risk of patients developing cardiovascular disease…. 

According to a Swedish study, eating a low-carbohydrate diet can reduce inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes have a higher level of inflammation than those without diabetes, and this may play a part in the increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes. The Linkoping University study included 61 participants with type 2 diabetes. The participants were randomly divided up and given either a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. The study method was a retrospective follow-up. The low-carbohydrate diet and the low-fat diet were compared over the course of 2 years. Additionally, the researchers studied how the diets impacted inflammation by checking the inflammation levels in the blood of each patient.

The results showed that both the low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets helped participants lose weight, roughly around nine pounds, but when it came to which diet produced reduced inflammatory markers in the blood, the low-carbohydrate diet succeeded. Additionally, glucose-levels dropped more in the low-carbohydrate diet groups. The researchers recommended with respect to the cardiovascular risk involved, aiming carbohydrate energy intake to 20% as a treatment alternative for at-risk patients.

• Low-carbohydrate diets help aid in weight loss as well as reduce inflammatory markers in the blood, and drop glucose-levels
• Reducing inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes may have potential to decrease the risk of patients developing cardiovascular diseases in the future
• With respect to the cardiovascular risk involved, aim carbohydrate energy intake to 20%, which can be established as a treatment alternative

Diabetologia. 2012 Aug;55(8):2118-27. doi: 10.1007/s00125-012-2567-4. Epub 2012 May 6