The Research Behind Women's Low-Carb Diets and Type 2 Diabetes

    The lure of rapid weight loss through low-carbohydrate diets has been put to the long-term health effects test. Clinical researchers recently ran a prospective trial to determine weather low-carbohydrate diets used for weight loss increased or decreased the risk for type 2 diabetes in women over time. The researchers used data from the ongoing Nurses' Health Study to examine the association between a low-carbohydrate diet score (based on the percentage of energy found in carbohydrates, fat, and protein) and the risk of type-2 diabetes in more than 85,000 women over a 20-year time frame. It was recognized amongst the researchers that females who ate more carbohydrates had a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes compared with those who ate fewer carbohydrates during the study period. The conclusion here is that the data suggest diets lower in carbohydrates and higher in fat and protein do not increase the risk of type-2 diabetes in women. The researchers published this conclusion in the February 2008 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research further concluded that, “In fact, diets rich in vegetable sources of fat and protein may modestly reduce the risk of diabetes.”

   Please keep in mind that not all carbohydrates are created equal. If you decide to reduce your carbohydrate intake to lose weight, make sure you retain the healthy “complex” carbs, such as fruits and veggies. Instead, toss out the “simple” carbs, like those found in processed foods.