A new report from SACN concludes that a lower carbohydrate diet is an effective short-term option for adults living with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity
The report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), co-chaired with Diabetes UK, suggests that a diet lower in carbohydrates is an effective option up to 6 months for adults living with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity.
The report is based on a robust assessment of existing evidence around weight change, blood sugar management, blood fats and medication use.
SACN concludes that for adults living with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity, there are beneficial effects of a lower carbohydrate diet for up to 6 months for some of the outcomes considered, including improving blood sugar management.
People on lower carbohydrate diets lost more weight than those on higher carbohydrate diets in the first 3 months but not after, so it’s unclear if the benefits of a lower carbohydrate diet are due to this early weight loss.
Overall, the quality of the evidence wasn’t strong enough to recommend a lower carbohydrate diet for longer than 6 months.
Douglas Twenefour, co-chair of the joint working group and Deputy Head of Care of Diabetes UK, said:
Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at PHE, said:
In the short-term studies, reported diets were classed as lower-carbohydrate if they were made up of around 37% carbohydrates, compared to 50% for higher carbohydrate diets.