People with Type 2 diabetes may be able to discontinue medication after eating a low-carb diet, new research suggests

New research finds that a low-carbohydrate diet may improve beta-cell function in people with Type 2 diabetes.New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows that adults with Type 2 diabetes who follow a low-carbohydrate diet might experience improvements in their beta-cell function, potentially helping them manage their condition more effectively and potentially reduce or eliminate the need for medication.

More than 38 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 90 percent of them have Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually presents in people who are 45 or older. However, it is becoming more common in children, teenagers and young adults too.

People with Type 2 diabetes have a compromised beta-cell response to blood sugar, possibly due in part to eating too many carbohydrates. Beta-cell failure or insufficiency on top of insulin resistance is responsible for the development and progression of Type 2 diabetes.

"This study shows that people with Type 2 diabetes on a low-carbohydrate diet can recover their beta-cells, an outcome that cannot be achieved with medication," said lead study author Barbara Gower, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences. "People with mild Type 2 diabetes who reduce their carbohydrate intake may be able to discontinue medication and enjoy eating meals and snacks that are higher in protein and meet their energy needs."

The study compared two groups of adults with Type 2 diabetes: one group followed a low-carb diet, and the other followed a high-carb diet. Researchers wanted to see how these diets affected beta-cell function and insulin secretion.

The study found that the low-carb diet improved beta-cell function and insulin secretion, even after accounting for any weight loss. This means the benefits of the low-carb diet were not just because people lost weight.

Barbara Gower, Ph.D.Participants were asked to stop taking their diabetes medication before the study started so any changes in their health could be linked to the diet.

All participants were given their meals as part of the study. The low-carb diet was low in carbs and high in fat, while the high-carb diet was high in carbs and low in fat.

The researchers found those on a low-carbohydrate versus a high-carbohydrate diet saw improvements in the acute and maximal beta-cell responses that were twofold and 22 percent greater, respectively. Within each race group, Black adults on a low-carbohydrate diet saw 110 percent greater improvements in the acute beta-cell response and White adults had improvements in the maximal beta-cell response that were 48 percent greater than their respective counterparts on the high-carbohydrate diet.

"Further research is needed to determine if a low-carbohydrate diet can restore beta-cell function and lead to remission in people with Type 2 diabetes," Gower said.

Other study authors include Amy Goss, Marian Yurchishin and William Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Sarah Deemer of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas; and Bhuvana Sunil of the University of Washington and Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington.

This research received financial support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Diabetes Research Center, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.