(HealthDay News) — For individuals with type 2 diabetes, long-term low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) are efficacious for treatment of dyslipidemia but do not affect glycemic control, according to a review published online July 24 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
Takahiro Ichikawa, from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the association between long-term LCD and glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Six studies met the inclusion criteria.
The researchers found no significant differences in changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) between long-term LCD and control diets. Furthermore, between long-term and control diets, there were no significant differences in the changes in weight loss, blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Compared with control diets, long-term LCD were associated with greater elevation in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (standardized mean difference, 0.22) and a decrease in triglyceride levels (standardized mean difference, −0.19).
“Long-term LCD might be an important approach in the management of diabetic dyslipidemia in individuals with type 2 diabetes,” the authors write. “However, in the present study, long-term LCD were not found to be more effective than control diets in the reduction of HbA1c levels.”
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
