Study on Two-Meals-a-Day Ketogenic Diet for Type 2 Diabetes

A recent study has shed light on the potential benefits of a two-meals-a-day energy-restricted ketogenic diet (KD) for individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The research, involving 60 newly diagnosed obese patients, compared the outcomes of those who followed a two-meals-a-day KD to a control group on a conventional diabetic diet. This study was published in the Medicine journal by Li Sumei and colleagues.

The findings revealed that both groups exhibited significant improvements in various health markers after adhering to their respective diets under energy restriction for two months. The positive changes included:

• Reductions in weight
• Waist circumference
• Body mass index
• Total cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• High-density lipoproteins
• Low-density lipoproteins
• Fasting blood glucose
• Fasting insulin
• Glycated haemoglobin

These improvements were observed to be statistically significant (P < .05).

The group following the two-meals-a-day KD showed even more promising results, with more significant enhancements in the aforementioned parameters compared to the conventional diabetic diet group. This suggests that the KD may be an effective dietary approach for managing health in newly diagnosed obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

However, it's worth noting that the two-meals-a-day KD was associated with a slight increase in uric acid levels compared to the control group following the conventional diabetic diet (P < .05).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study indicates that the two-meals-a-day KD can lead to substantial improvements in weight control, blood glucose management, and lipid profiles among individuals who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and are also dealing with obesity. These findings open up exciting possibilities for dietary interventions in the management of diabetes and obesity. Further research may provide additional insights into the long-term effects and mechanisms underlying these benefits.

Reference

Li, S., Yuan, S., Lin, G., & Zhang, J. Effects of a two meals-a-day ketogenic diet on newly diagnosed obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective observational study. Medicine, 2023;102(43):e35753. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000035753