TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Type 2 diabetics who follow a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet have better glycemic control than those on a low-fat diet, according to a study in the Sept. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Katherine Esposito, M.D., of the Second University of Naples in Italy, and colleagues conducted a study of 215 overweight type 2 diabetics who had never taken antihyperglycemic drugs and had hemoglobin A1c levels below 11 percent. Of these subjects, 108 were put on the Mediterranean-style diet whereby less than 50 percent of daily calorie intake came from carbohydrates, while 107 were put on a low-fat diet in which less than 30 percent of calories were derived from fat.
Weight loss and improvements in glycemic control and coronary risk measures were better in those eating the Mediterranean diet than those on the low-fat diet, the researchers found. Whereas 70 percent of those on the low-fat diet required treatment after four years, only 44 percent of the Mediterranean-style diet subjects did so.
"We believe our findings suggest that people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who use a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean-style diet can lower their hemoglobin A1c levels and delay the need for antihyperglycemic drug therapy compared with use of a low-fat diet," the authors write. "The findings reinforce the message that benefits of lifestyle interventions should not be overlooked."
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