Comparative Study of the Effects of a 1-Year Dietary Intervention of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Versus a Low-Fat Diet on Weight and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes
- Nichola J. Davis, MD, MS1,2,
- Nora Tomuta, MD1,
- Clyde Schechter, MD1,
- Carmen R. Isasi, MD, PHD1,
- C.J. Segal-Isaacson, EDD, RD1,
- Daniel Stein, MD1,
- Joel Zonszein, MD2 and
- Judith Wylie-Rosett, EDD, RD1
- 1Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York;
- 2North Bronx Healthcare Network, Bronx, New York.
- Corresponding author: Nichola J. Davis, ndavis{at}montefiore.org.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of a 1-year intervention with a low-carbohydrate and a low-fat diet on weight loss and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study is a randomized clinical trial of 105 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes. Primary outcomes were weight and A1C. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure and lipids. Outcome measures were obtained at 3, 6, and 12 months.
RESULTS The greatest reduction in weight and A1C occurred within the first 3 months. Weight loss occurred faster in the low-carbohydrate group than in the low-fat group (P = 0.005), but at 1 year a similar 3.4% weight reduction was seen in both dietary groups. There was no significant change in A1C in either group at 1 year. There was no change in blood pressure, but a greater increase in HDL was observed in the low-carbohydrate group (P = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS Among patients with type 2 diabetes, after 1 year a low-carbohydrate diet had effects on weight and A1C similar to those seen with a low-fat diet. There was no significant effect on blood pressure, but the low-carbohydrate diet produced a greater increase in HDL cholesterol.
Footnotes
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Clinical trial reg. no. NCT00795691, clinicaltrials.gov.
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The funding sources did not have any role in the design, implementation, or analysis of the study. The funding sources did not review the manuscript before publication.
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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- Received November 26, 2008.
- Accepted April 3, 2009.
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Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.
- © 2009 by the American Diabetes Association.
