Many adults in the U.S. are living with serious health conditions like high blood pressure (hypertension), prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes.
Many of them are also overweight or obese. These health problems increase the risk of stroke, kidney failure, heart attacks, and early death.
A healthy diet is often the first recommended treatment, but experts have different opinions about which diet is best.
To help answer this question, a group of researchers studied 94 adults who had one or more of these conditions. The participants were randomly assigned to follow either a very low-carbohydrate (VLC) diet—also called a ketogenic diet—or a diet based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) plan.
Some participants also received extra support, like mindful eating sessions, cooking lessons, and help with building social and emotional skills. Others did not receive this extra support.
After four months, the results showed that the VLC diet worked better than the DASH diet in several ways. People on the VLC diet had bigger drops in blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and weight.
On average, systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) went down by 9.8 mmHg for those on the VLC diet. For those on the DASH diet, it dropped by 5.2 mmHg.
Blood sugar levels, measured by a test called HbA1c, dropped by 0.4% in the VLC group, compared to just 0.1% in the DASH group. People on the VLC diet also lost more weight—about 19 pounds, while those on the DASH diet lost about 10 pounds.
Interestingly, the added support activities like mindful eating and cooking classes did not have a major effect on the results. Whether or not people received extra support, the VLC diet still performed better than the DASH diet in terms of health outcomes.
These findings are important because nearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure, and about half have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Also, about 42% of adults are considered obese. Since these conditions are so common and dangerous, finding the most effective diet plan is crucial.
This study adds valuable information. It suggests that for adults who are overweight or obese and also have high blood pressure, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes, a very low-carb diet may be more helpful than the DASH diet. It improved blood pressure, blood sugar control, and weight loss over just four months.
The research was published in the journal The Annals of Family Medicine.
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