Many adults today face serious health problems such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes. These conditions are even more common among people who are overweight or obese.
Together, they can increase the risk of life-threatening illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and early death. Because of this, doctors often recommend changing diet and lifestyle as the first step to improve health. However, there is still disagreement about which type of diet works best.
A new study published in The Annals of Family Medicine set out to answer this question. Researchers wanted to compare two well-known diets to see which one leads to better health results. One diet was a very low-carbohydrate diet, often called a ketogenic or “keto” diet.
This diet limits foods like bread, rice, and sugar, and instead focuses on fats and proteins. The other diet was the DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet encourages people to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat foods, and it is often recommended to lower blood pressure.
The researchers included 94 adults in the study. All participants had high blood pressure, and either prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, and were also overweight or obese. The study lasted for four months.
The participants were divided into groups and followed either the low-carbohydrate diet or the DASH diet. Some groups also received extra support, such as guidance on mindful eating, help managing emotions, social support, and cooking education. Other groups followed the diet without these extra supports.
At the end of the study, the results were clear. People who followed the low-carbohydrate diet showed greater improvements in several important health measures. Their blood pressure dropped more compared to those on the DASH diet.
Their blood sugar levels also improved more, which is important for people with diabetes or prediabetes. In addition, they lost more weight than those following the DASH diet.
Interestingly, the extra support activities did not make a big difference in the results. Whether participants received additional help or not, the main factor influencing their health improvements seemed to be the type of diet they followed.
These findings are important because they suggest that a very low-carbohydrate diet may be more effective for certain people, especially those dealing with multiple health problems at the same time.
However, it is also important to understand the limits of this study. The number of participants was relatively small, and the study only lasted four months. This means we do not know if the results would remain the same over a longer period or in a larger group of people.
Another point to consider is that different diets may work differently for different individuals. Some people may find a low-carbohydrate diet difficult to follow in the long term, while others may prefer it. Personal preference, lifestyle, and medical advice should always be considered when choosing a diet.
Overall, this study adds useful information to an ongoing debate. It shows that cutting carbohydrates very low can lead to stronger short-term improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight compared to a widely recommended diet like DASH.
Still, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects and to identify which diet works best for different people.
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Source: University name.
