People with type 2 diabetes who follow a high fat, low carbohydrate diet to lose weight may be doing more harm than good, according to Warwick Medical School researcher. Most people with diabetes focus on limiting sugar content to regulate their blood sugar levels, and the high protein, low carbohydrate diet may seem like an ideal way to lose weight and control blood sugar levels. However, the study found that the diet’s high fat intake causes an increase in blood endotoxins, bacterial fragments that provoke inflammation, and having diabetes appears to increase this reaction. “Evidence suggests this is due to a ‘leaky gut,’ which is an increased permeability of the gut lining that seems to allow a greater transfer of bacterial fragments from the intestine into the blood,” says study author Alison Harte. “This creates conditions within the body that trigger inflammatory reactions, which ultimately can cause a number of conditions such as heart disease and will help to explain further why diabetics are more prone to developing heart problems, weight gain, and cardiovascular conditions.” Because heart disease is responsible for as much as 80 percent of deaths among people with diabetes, this research may lead to new preventions. “As for dietary advice, we would say that a balanced diet with exercise is the way forward,” Harte says. “As opposed to seeking quick weight loss results from high fat, low carb diets, which may have longer term health implications.”
