If you have Type 2 diabetes, you may not need to take additional insulin, but can control glucose levels with a combination of diet and exercise. The majority of Type 2 diabetics are overweight; losing weight can improve insulin sensitivity and help prevent serious health complications. The Atkins Diet not only promotes weight loss, but can help stabilize glucose and insulin levels because of its restricted carbohydrate intake.
Atkins Diet Overview
The Atkins Diet is a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that claims to help your body burn stored fat for fuel while helping you lose weight, regulate blood sugar and feel great. It's divided into four phases, the first of which jump-starts weight-loss by limiting you to no more than 20 g of carbs daily. Successive phases allow for more carbohydrates, until you discover your "CLL," or carbohydrate level for losing. This is your individual carb tolerance; instead of assigning a number of allowed carbs, you discover how many carbs you can eat and still lose weight and control insulin levels. The closer you come to your CLL, the slower your weight loss.
Carbohydrates, Insulin Control and Weight Gain
Carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood sugar because your body can digest them and convert them into glucose very quickly. Protein and fat have little impact on glucose levels. When glucose hits your bloodstream, your pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that helps move glucose into your cells to use as energy. The slower your glucose levels rise, the less insulin your body will need to produce. The Atkins Diet calls insulin "the fat hormone" because it causes excess calories to be stored as fat and stops your body from using existing fat for energy. By limiting glucose and insulin production, the Atkins Diet can help regulate blood sugar and aid in weight loss.
Type 2 Diabetes and the Atkins Diet -- Pros
The Atkins Diet can help prevent high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, and reduce the risk of health problems associated with Type 2 diabetes. Chronic high blood sugar weakens blood vessels and can cause heart and kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage. The American Diabetes Association says that "keeping glucose levels as low as possible prevents or slows some complications." The Atkins Diet regulates glucose by limiting sugar and starch and emphasizing fiber, protein and fat -- all foods that slow digestion. Slowing digestion helps you feel full eating fewer calories and can reduce total caloric intake, leading to weight loss.
Type 2 Diabetes and the Atkins Diet -- Cons
The Atkins Diet can be too high in protein and saturated fat for people with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Protein digestion burdens the kidneys and can speed the progression of kidney failure. Most often, people with kidney disease are advised to limit protein intake to 10 percent; the Atkins Diet may call for four or five times that amount. With a high animal protein intake comes saturated fat. Although the Atkins Diet does limit saturated fat intake to 20 percent of your calories, the American Heart Association says that no more than 7 percent of your calories should come from saturated fat -- the type of fat closely linked to high cholesterol and heart disease.
References
- Atkins: How Insulin Blocks Fat Burning
- Atkins: Finding Your Personal Tolerance for Carbs in OWL
- American Heart Association: High Protein Diets
- American Diabetes Association: Tight DIabetes Control
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Kidney Disease of Diabetes; September 2008
