Nelson Vergel
Founder, ExcelMale.com
The review, published in Nutrition, surveyed long-term randomized controlled trials, including National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data and the ACCORD trial.
Because no one prescriptive definition for a low-carbohydrate diet exists, the researchers expanded the review’s definition to include a very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (<20 g to 50 g carbohydrate daily), a low-carbohydrate diet (<130 g daily), a moderate-carbohydrate diet (26% to 45% of daily calories from carbohydrate), and a high-carbohydrate diet (>45% of daily calories). The American Diabetes Association’s current recommendations are for an adult’s diet to contain 45% to 65% carbohydrates, according to the study.
Among the points of evidence in the review, data demonstrated that carbohydrate restriction was the most effective diet-based strategy to decrease Hb1Ac (compared with low-calorie and/or low-fat diet plans).
Feinman and colleagues also pointed to data that showed recent increases in caloric consumptions among Americans are primarily sourced from carbohydrate-rich foods. From the first NHANES data collected in 1974 to recent NHANES data collected in 2000, men saw a 6.8% increase in kilocalories, broken down into a 23.4% increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed, a 5% decrease in fat and a 14% decrease in saturated fat. Women saw a 21.7% increase in overall kilocalories, consisting of a 38.4% increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed, an 11% increase in fat and a 3% increase in saturated fat.
Another point raised by the researchers focused on the benefits of carbohydrate restriction, namely that carbohydrate reduction does not have to result in weight loss for effective glycemic lowering to take place. Previous research showed that a very low-carbohydrate diet resulted in as much as 20% improvement in glycemic lowering.
“Studies in which weight is lost and glycemic control is attained do not show any correlation between the two outcomes,” the study researchers said. “Given the difficulties that most people have in losing weight, this factor alone provides an obvious advantage to low-carbohydrate diets.”
Feinman RD. Nutrition. 2014;doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011
Because no one prescriptive definition for a low-carbohydrate diet exists, the researchers expanded the review’s definition to include a very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (<20 g to 50 g carbohydrate daily), a low-carbohydrate diet (<130 g daily), a moderate-carbohydrate diet (26% to 45% of daily calories from carbohydrate), and a high-carbohydrate diet (>45% of daily calories). The American Diabetes Association’s current recommendations are for an adult’s diet to contain 45% to 65% carbohydrates, according to the study.
Among the points of evidence in the review, data demonstrated that carbohydrate restriction was the most effective diet-based strategy to decrease Hb1Ac (compared with low-calorie and/or low-fat diet plans).
Feinman and colleagues also pointed to data that showed recent increases in caloric consumptions among Americans are primarily sourced from carbohydrate-rich foods. From the first NHANES data collected in 1974 to recent NHANES data collected in 2000, men saw a 6.8% increase in kilocalories, broken down into a 23.4% increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed, a 5% decrease in fat and a 14% decrease in saturated fat. Women saw a 21.7% increase in overall kilocalories, consisting of a 38.4% increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed, an 11% increase in fat and a 3% increase in saturated fat.
Another point raised by the researchers focused on the benefits of carbohydrate restriction, namely that carbohydrate reduction does not have to result in weight loss for effective glycemic lowering to take place. Previous research showed that a very low-carbohydrate diet resulted in as much as 20% improvement in glycemic lowering.
“Studies in which weight is lost and glycemic control is attained do not show any correlation between the two outcomes,” the study researchers said. “Given the difficulties that most people have in losing weight, this factor alone provides an obvious advantage to low-carbohydrate diets.”
Feinman RD. Nutrition. 2014;doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.06.011
