Optimizing glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients through the use of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, ketogenic diet: a review of two patients in primary care

Abstract

Established guidelines continue to promote carbohydrate-rich (>130 g/day) diets in the primary-care management of type 2 diabetic (DM2) patients. A growing body of evidence suggests that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, ketogenic diet (KD) may be a more effective nutritional strategy for improving glycemic control. Two diabetic patients, a 65-year-old female and a 52-year-old male, were placed on KDs consisting of 70% fat, 20%–25% protein, and 5%–10% carbohydrates and monitored for 12 weeks. The 65-year-old female demonstrated a 2.4% reduction in HBA1C over 12 weeks while reducing her diabetic medication by 75%. The 52-year-old male demonstrated a 2.5% reduction in HBA1C while eliminating all diabetic medications. These cases demonstrate the efficacy of KDs in terms of improving glycemic control in DM2 patients and lend support to the increased use of KDs in this population cohort.

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Keywords:

• case series
• diabetes
• HBA1C
• improved glycemic control

Acknowledgments

Special thank you to Kieran Cooley ND, Research Director and to Monique Aucoin ND and Samah Hassan MD (Egypt), MSc, Research Fellows at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine for their assistance and direction. Thank you also to Jane Sagura, student at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine for assistance in helping compile the relevant research for this case series.

Disclosure

The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.