People with type 2 diabetes are usually advised to eat between 45 and 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal in addition to extra carbohydrates at snack time, which can easily result in the daily consumption of over 200 g of carbohydrates. The Atkins diet plan is a low-carb approach that has been shown effective for weight management but that could also help people with type 2 diabetes get their blood sugar levels under control.
Atkins Diet Overview
The first phase of the Atkins diet, the induction phase, limits carbohydrates to 20 g or less a day. It is then followed by the ongoing weight loss phase, which gradually up the daily carbohydrate intake by 5 g each week. The third phase is the pre-maintenance phase and consists of increasing the daily carbohydrate target by 10 g each week. Finally, during the last phase, called the maintenance phase, dieters are encouraged to consume the carbohydrate target determined during the third phase to allow them to maintain their goal weight for the rest of their life.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a growing epidemic in the United States and is characterized by a carbohydrate intolerance. The pancreas is either unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin or the cells of the body have became resistant to the action of this hormone. Any time carbohydrates are eaten, whether it is a slice of bread, pasta, fruit or sugar, they are digested and broken down into glucose which then enters the bloodstream. This explains why blood sugar, or glucose, levels rise after eating, especially in people with type 2 diabetes, which is accompanied by a combination of insulin deficiency and insulin resistance.
Atkins and Blood Sugar Levels
In a study, participants with type 2 diabetes were assigned to either a very low-carb diet, which corresponds to the induction phase of the Atkins diet with a daily carb intake of 20 g; or a low-glycemic diet, with 55 percent of its calories from carbohydrates and a 500 calorie restriction. After following these diets for a period of 24 weeks, both groups' health improved significantly. However, the improvements were significantly greater in the low-carb group, with a reduction in their blood sugar levels, measured by the A1C, of 1.5 percent compared to only 0.5 percent in the other group. Moreover, 95.2 percent of the subjects in the low-carb group were able to reduce or discontinue their diabetes medications, as opposed to only 62 pecent in the low-glycemic group, as published in the December 2008 issue of the journal "Nutrition & Metabolism."
Atkins and Other Health Parameters
Most studies investigating the effects of a low-carb Atkins-style diet also show that these diets result in more weight loss. For example, the group following the induction phase of the Atkins diet for 24 weeks lost an average of 24.5 lbs. compared to only 15.2 lbs. in the low-glycemic, calorie-restricted group. Moreover, good HDL cholesterol levels were increased by 5.6 mg/dL in the low-carb group, while they stayed unchanged in the other group, according to a study in the December 2008 issue of the journal "Nutrition & Metabolism." It is also important to note that the low-glycemic group was instructed to lower their calorie intake by 500 calories a day, while the low-carb diet was ad libitum, meaning that participants could eat as much as they wanted. Following a low-carb diet appears to spontaneously reduce the average calorie intake because of its satiating power.
