What’s the best diet if you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?

Researchers assigned 33 people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes to eat a “Well-Formulated Keto Diet” or a “Mediterranean-Plus Diet” for 12 weeks each, in random order.

Both diets were rich in non-starchy vegetables and low in added sugars and refined grains. The Mediterranean diet included beans, fruits, and whole intact grains. The Keto diet had none, except for small amounts of some berries.

Hemoglobin A1c (a long-term measure of blood sugar) fell by about 8 percent on both diets. LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was higher on the Keto diet than on the Mediterranean diet, though triglycerides were lower. After 36 weeks, both groups had lost about 15 pounds. Each cut about 250 to 300 calories a day.

What to do

Got prediabetes or type 2 diabetes? Try a Mediterranean-style diet to cut your A1c and your LDL.

Tags

Topics

The Latest by Bonnie

Prediabetes: What may—and may not—help reverse it?

Nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults—and 50 percent of those over 65—have prediabetes. Eight out of 10 don’t know it. On the upside, the toolbox for preventing or reversing prediabetes is expanding. Here’s what to know.

Weight and Health

Woman chopping vegetables in the kitchen

The good fats

All fats are a mix of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, though people usually categorize them by the fatty acid that predominates. The good fats include monounsaturated fats (like avocado, canola oil, olive oil, safflower, and sunflower oil) and polyunsaturated fats (like fish, nuts, seeds, soy foods, sesame oil, and soybean oil).

Healthy Eating

unsaturated fat sources

Pop Quiz!

Are you up on the latest? Want to test your smarts about all sorts of issues we’ve covered in Nutrition Action over the years? Here’s a quick quiz. Each question has only one correct answer. Good luck!

Preventing Disease

yellow background with lots of question marks

The latest on preventing disease