Effect of carbohydrate restriction and high carbohydrate diets on men with chemical diabetes

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Abstract
The influence of low carbohydrate (CHO) diets, starvation, and high CHO diets on glucose tolerance tests (GTT) and plasma insulin responses of men with chemical diabetes was studied. The GTT and insulin responses of these seven lean diabetic men were unchanged when the carbohydrate content of the diet was reduced from 44 to 20% of calories. After a 48-hr fast a significant deterioration of the GTT was observed in these diabetic men but the percentage change was identical to that reported previously for normal men. Thus these studies indicate that changes in glucose metabolism with carbohydrate restriction in lean men with chemical diabetes are quite similar to those reported previously for normal men. The fasting plasma glucose values of seven lean and four obese men with chemical diabetes were significantly lower after one week on a 75% CHO diet than values on a 44% CHO diet. The 75% CHO diet also was accompanied by slight improvements in the oral and intravenous GTT and by slightly lower plasma insulin responses. The improvement in glucose metabolism on high CHO diets appears to result from increased insulin sensitivity. Serum triglyceride values were approximately 55% higher on the 75% CHO diet than values on the 44% CHO diet for the 11 men but these differences were not statistically significant. These studies support previous observations and suggest that high CHO diets may be beneficial in the management of certain diabetic patients. However, further studies are required to determine the long-term effects of high CHO diets containing natural foods on the glucose and lipid metabolism of diabetic patients.