Low-Carb Breakfast Aids Glucose Measures With Diabetes

Findings seen compared with low-fat breakfast for three months

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A low-carbohydrate (LC) breakfast is associated with improved glucose measures among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online May 29 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Barbara F. Oliveira, Ph.D., from University of British Columbia in Kelowna, Canada, and colleagues investigated if an LC breakfast (∼465 kcal: 25 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, and 37 g fat) could improve glucose control in people with T2D when compared to a low-fat (LF) control breakfast (∼450 kcal: 20 g protein, 56 g carbohydrates, and 15 g fat). The analysis included 121 participants randomly assigned to LC or LF breakfast for three months.

The researchers found that hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) was reduced (−0.3 percent) after 12 weeks of an LC breakfast. However, the between-group difference in HbA1c was of borderline statistical significance (−0.2; 95 percent confidence interval, −0.4 to 0.0; P = 0.06). In the LC group, self-reported total daily energy (−242 kcal) and carbohydrate (−73 g) intake were lower but the significance of this difference is unclear. Significant differences were seen for mean and maximum glucose, area under the curve, glycemic variability, standard deviation, and time above range in the LC group, while time in the range was significantly higher versus the LF group.

“Advice and guidance to consume a LC breakfast appears to be a simple dietary strategy to reduce overall energy and carbohydrate intake and improve several continuous glucose monitoring variables,” the authors write.

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