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The Dietary Science Foundation’s new goal:
A Nordic study of a low-carbohydrate
diet in type 2 diabetes
15/02/2018
Is the dietary advice given to people with type 2 diabetes ineffective? Researchers from Norway, Denmark and Sweden want to jointly evaluate whether a strict low-carb diet counteracts type 2 diabetes better than the traditional low-fat diet. The Dietary Science Foundation is providing them with 10,000 euros to plan the project and apply for research funding. The goal is an international study that can form the basis for more effective dietary advice worldwide.
The number of people with type 2 diabetes has exploded: nearly one-tenth of the world’s population has the condition. It’s creeping into younger age groups, and in some countries even teenagers are affected. A 50-year-old who gets the disease dies on average 6 years earlier than a healthy person, most often from cardiovascular disease. There are now grounds to believe that the dietary recommendations given to people with type 2 diabetes may have aggravated the situation.
“Most countries in the world advise people with type 2 diabetes to eat low-fat foods that are high in carbohydrates, but studies indicate that it’s more effective to cut carbohydrates instead. Some people reverse their diabetes. But there’s also a lot of skepticism about the high fat content of a low-carb diet. That’s why we need studies that investigate whether a low-carb diet can be a beneficial and safe alternative in the long term,” says Simon Dankel, researcher at the Center for Nutrition at the Department of Clinical Research, University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital.
Study will be planned this spring
Yesterday the Dietary Science Foundation announced its support for Simon Dankel’s study of dietary treatments for obesity. Today we are happy to announce that he will also receive 10,000 euros to plan a Nordic study of diet in type 2 diabetes together with a number of researchers from Copenhagen University, Lund University and Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. The goal is to carry out one of the largest dietary studies ever done of how diet affects type 2 diabetes.
“Currently many people need medicine to reduce their blood sugar, and it often only makes the disease worse over time. That’s why it’s important to study dietary advice to find what most effectively counteracts diabetes,” says Dankel.
This spring the researchers will meet to plan the project. After that they will apply for money from various research funds to finance the study itself. Just as in the studies of diet in IBS and type 1 diabetes, the researchers are being supported by the Dietary Science Foundation while they search for financiers.
