High fat diets may be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes

This paper was published in Diabetes Care 2009 May;32(5):959-65

Study title and authors:

Influence of fat and carbohydrate proportions on the metabolic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.

Kodama S, Saito K, Tanaka S, Maki M, Yachi Y, Sato M, Sugawara A, Totsuka K, Shimano H, Ohashi Y, Yamada N, Sone H.

Department of Lifestyle Medicine and Applied Nutrition, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19407076

This paper is a meta-analysis of 19 studies which compared the effects of replacing dietary fat with carbohydrate in patients with type II diabetes.

The average composition of the diets were:
(i) 58% carbohydrate, 24% fat (low fat, high carbohydrate diet).
(ii) 40% carbohydrate, 40% fat (high fat diet).

The study found:
(a) The (bad) fasting insulin levels were 8% higher on the low fat, high carbohydrate diet compared to the high fat diet.
(b) The (bad) triglyceride levels were 13% higher on the low fat, high carbohydrate diet compared to the high fat diet.
(c) The beneficial high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were 6% lower on the low fat, high carbohydrate diet compared to the high fat diet.

The findings of the study suggest that a high fat diet may be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes compared to a low fat, high carbohydrate diet.

Links to other studies:
Diabetes rates have tripled since the low fat crusade started in 1977
High fat, low carbohydrate diets are an effective tool in the treatment of diabetes
High dietary intake of fructose leads to diabetes