Article written by Catherine Conan, dietitian

For years, in order to protect people with type 2 diabetes from vascular complications and variations in blood sugar levels, many health professionals have traditionally adopted a sometimes severe low-calorie diet (mainly focusing on fat reduction and then leading to more high consumption of carbohydrates) resulting in non-compliance with the diet and therefore failure. To obtain results and cover nutritional needs, it is better to consider targeted corrections rather than the implementation of a draconian diet, such as stopping snacking, reducing sugary drinks and advocating physical activity. The goal is to achieve weight reduction coupled with good eating habits. Food must be balanced quantitatively but also qualitatively. But are these nutritional recommendations enough to achieve significant weight loss? Should we go beyond these notions?

What is a low carb diet?

Today, faced with the difficulties in obtaining significant weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes, new studies highlight the success of the implementation of low-carbohydrate diets to the detriment of low-fat diets. What are they? Are they really effective?

These diets consist of putting in place a diet low in carbohydrates (25% of the total caloric intake against 50 to 55% in the case of a balanced diet or in the case of a low-fat diet), rich in proteins. coupled with a physical activity program. This results in an improvement in blood sugar and in particular in postprandial blood sugar (after meals), blood triglycerides, a decrease in blood pressure and the diastolic function of the left ventricle is normalized.¹. Not to mention that taking anti-diabetic drugs traditionally accompanying the diet is reduced without any particular impact on blood sugar!

However, these diets have their limits since the weight loss is not more important than in the case of a low fat diet and the risks of nutritional deficiencies cannot be ignored. Therefore, further studies are needed. But what are these diets?