Effects of the low carbohydrate, high fat diet on glycemic control and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes: experience from a community-based cohort

Objective The optimal diet to improve glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes remains unclear. Low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diets can improve glycemic control, but have not been investigated in real-world settings.Research design and methods We investigated effects of the LCHF diet compared with usual care in a community-based cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes by performing a retrospective study of 49 patients who followed the LCHF diet for ≥3 months, and compared glycemic outcomes with age-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls who received usual care (n=75). The primary outcome was change in A1C from baseline to the end of follow-up.Results Compared with the usual care group, the LCHF group showed a significantly greater reduction in A1C (−1.29% (95% CI −1.75 to −0.82; p