Current Evidence Regarding Low-carb Diets for The Metabolic Control of Type-2 Diabetes

Abstract

: The management of diabetes requires a medical nutritional therapy as an essential part of this treatment. There should be no "one-size-fits-all" eating pattern for different patient´s profiles with diabetes. It´s clinically complex to suggest an ideal percentage of calories from carbohydrates, protein and lipids recommended for all patients with diabetes. Among the eating patterns that have shown beneficial effects on metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes is the Low-Carb diet, since the carbohydrate ingestion is viewed as the most important determinant of postprandial glucose and insulin response. In this context, theoretically it could make sense to reduce the daily amount of carbohydrates ingested, willing to achieve lower levels of HbA1c. There could be associated risks to this approach. The adherence to a Low-Carb Diet is here also discussed. This narrative review works on the current evidence for answering these questions regarding Low-Carb Diet as a possible alternative eating pattern for type 2 diabetes.