Ever met someone with type 2 diabetes?
Maybe you know someone or maybe you have it yourself. Well, there’s a reason to be happy.
Some smart scientists from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have made an exciting discovery. They’ve found that eating a low-carb, plant-based diet could help these people live longer.
Why is this News Exciting?
The thing is, their finding is a big deal. This is the first time researchers have shown how a diet low in carbs can benefit people who already have type 2 diabetes.
“Eating less refined and processed carbs is already a recommended way to prevent getting type 2 diabetes.
Our study now shows that a low-carb diet can also manage the disease if you already have it,” explained Yang Hu, who led the research.
The study’s details are online now and will be printed in the April issue of the Diabetes Care magazine.
How Did They Figure This Out?
The scientists checked the health records of 7,224 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 2,877 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Everyone in the study developed type 2 diabetes after the studies had started.
Every other year, the participants had to fill out questionnaires about their lifestyle and health. This gave the researchers information about their diets and what they ate.
They looked at things like animal and vegetable proteins and fats, and high-quality and low-quality carbs.
What Did The Study Find?
What they found was quite amazing. People who ate a low-carb diet were 24% less likely to die early from any cause.
Even better, those who ate a lot of plant-based foods and high-quality carbs, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, had even better results.
These people also had lower risks of dying from heart disease and cancer.
Low-carb diets full of animal products and low-quality carbs did not show the same lower death rates.
The biggest health benefits were found in people who also had other healthy habits. These included not smoking, exercising on a regular basis, and drinking alcohol only in moderation.
So, What Does This Mean?
According to Qi Sun, another researcher in the study, this shows just how important diet quality is for managing diabetes.
So, the message is clear: It’s not just about eating fewer carbs, but also about choosing healthy, plant-based foods.
This could be a real game-changer, helping people with type 2 diabetes to live longer and healthier lives.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease, and Vitamin D could benefit people with diabetic neuropathic pain.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that Vitamin E could help reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance in diabetes, and results showing eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
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