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Very-low-calorie diet controls teens' diabetes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high-protein, low-carb, very-low-calorie
diet is effective short-term treatment for obese adolescents with
type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
The rate of type 2 diabetes has risen exponentially among adolescents,
Dr. Steven M. Willi and colleagues from the Medical University of
South Carolina, Charleston, point out in the medical journal Diabetes
Care, but there are few studies comparing the relative merits of
diet, exercise, insulin, and other drug therapies in treating such
patients.
The team evaluated the ability of a ketogenic, very-low-calorie
diet to reduce weight, reduce high blood sugar levels, and decrease
the dependence on anti-diabetes medications in 20 obese teens --
5 males and 15 females -- with type 2 diabetes.
The diet consisted of about 100 grams of protein and less than
30 grams each of fat and carbohydrates per day, which delivered
between 680 and 800 calories. That translates to approximately 13
ounces of lean meat and 3 cups of vegetables. The participants also
needed to take in 8 cups of fluid and supplemental salt daily.
Mean daily blood glucose levels fell from 162 to 100 mg/dL within
three days of beginning the diet, and all but one teen managed to
discontinue all antidiabetic therapy.
After voluntarily stopping the diet after an average of 60 days,
participants' average weight loss was 25 pounds (9.3 percent of
total body weight), the researchers report.
In fact, the average body weight was still significantly reduced
two years later. This amounted to a 5.4 percent reduction, compared
with a 3.7 percent increase in an age-matched control group.
Average blood pressure also fell during the diet, and none of the
patients experienced side effects such as nausea and cramps reported
in previous trials of the diet in youngsters, Willi's team found.
The investigators call for further studies, but conclude that "the
very-low-calorie diet has the potential to improve diabetes control
over the short term and perhaps empower diabetic individuals over
the long term."
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, February 2004.
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