Diabetes is a health problem that affects many people around the world. It messes with your body’s ability to use sugar, or glucose, from the food you eat.
If you have diabetes, your body either can’t make insulin, which helps glucose get into your cells, or can’t use insulin properly.
This causes high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious health issues.
Different Diets for Managing Diabetes
Now, if you have diabetes, one of the things that can help you manage the condition is the food you eat. There are different diets that can help.
Two popular ones are the keto diet and the Mediterranean diet.
The Keto Diet
The ketogenic, or keto, diet is one where you eat very few carbohydrates and lots of fats. This diet forces your body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose.
Some people with diabetes find this diet helpful because it can lower blood sugar and insulin levels. But, it’s quite strict, and not everyone finds it easy to stick to.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, focuses on eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
You can also eat fish and poultry. This diet is not as strict as the keto diet, and many people find it easier to follow.
A New Study on Keto vs Mediterranean Diet
A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at these two diets to see which one might be better for people with diabetes.
Christopher D. Gardner, Ph.D., from Stanford University, and his team carried out a small study. They looked at 33 people who had either pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
These folks tried both diets for 12 weeks each to see how the diets would affect their blood sugar control and other factors related to heart health.
Study Findings: What’s Better, Keto or Mediterranean?
So, what did they find out? First off, both diets helped control blood sugar levels. That’s good news, right? But there were some differences too.
On the keto diet, people saw a greater decrease in their triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood) compared to the Mediterranean diet.
However, their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) increased. On the Mediterranean diet, this “bad” cholesterol decreased.
People lost weight on both diets, but the order in which they followed the diets seemed to matter.
The researchers also found that people ate less fiber and certain nutrients on the keto diet compared to the Mediterranean diet. And most importantly, people found it easier to stick to the Mediterranean diet.
The Takeaway
According to Gardner, the main thing is to cut back on added sugars and refined grains, and eat more vegetables. He believes there’s no need to limit healthy carbs too much.
In simple words, both diets can help if you have diabetes. But the Mediterranean diet might be a better choice because it’s easier to follow and could be better for your heart.
Remember, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor or a dietitian before making big changes to your diet.
If you care about blood sugar, please read studies about how to control diabetes apart from blood sugar levels, and Vitamin D could benefit people with diabetic neuropathic pain.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about the link between COVID-19 and diabetes, and results showing scientists find ways to treat diabetes without drugs.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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