In recent times, a high-fat and low-carb pattern of diet – such as keto diet - has gained momentum with promises of making people lose weight in less time and having healthy effects on health. However, all of it might not be true – a recent study led by Dr. Barbora De Courten and Robel Hussen Kabthymer, Monash University, published in 2024, states that following trendy diets can actually enhance the risk of having type 2 diabetes in the long run.

Low-carb diet and diabetes: What's the link?

The long research, conducted for 14 hours with 39000 adults being kept under observation follows the pattern by which low-carb diet and the risk of type 2 diabetes can be linked. There is a common notion that when we cut down carbs from the diet, it leads to improved metabolic health – the recent study challenges that belief. It states that people following a low-carbohydrate, high-protein and high-fat diet are at 20 percent higher risk of having type 2 diabetes.

Professor Barbora de Courten, co-lead of the study, in a media release, explained that consuming food items high in saturated fat content can lead to weight gain and also lead to insulin resistance – one of the main causes of type 2 diabetes.

How can a low-carb diet increase diabetes risk?

The link is more complicated than it seems. The study demonstrated that when people replace carbohydrates in their diet with saturated fat and less fiber, they push themselves to be at higher risk of being overweight or obese and less physically active. The difference in body mass index also plays a huge role in low-carb diet and diabetes risk.

Barbora de Courten further explained that the type of carbohydrate also has a huge role to play. The best way forward is to design a balanced diet for nutritional benefits. Carbs such as refined sugar, soft drinks, white bread, white rice, juices can be replaced with unprocessed carbs that are rich in fibers. Food items such as avocados, nuts, olive oil and fatty fish like salmon are rich in mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats – they are extremely healthy and are recommended for a balanced diet.

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