Abstract

The management of diabetes requires a medical nutrition therapy as an essential part of this treatment. There should be no “one-size-fits-all” eating pattern for different patient´s profiles with diabetes. It is clinically complex to suggest an ideal percentage of calories from carbohydrates, protein and lipids recommended for all patients with diabetes. Among the eating patterns that have shown beneficial effects on metabolic control of patients with type 2 diabetes is the lowcarb diet, since the carbohydrate ingestion is viewed as the most important determinant of postprandial glucose and insulin response. In this context, theoretically, it could make sense to reduce the daily amount of carbohydrates ingested, to achieve lower levels of HbA1c. There could be risks associated to this approach. The adherence to a low-carb diet is here also discussed. This narrative review shows on the current evidence for answering these questions regarding low-carb diet as a possible alternative eating pattern for type 2 diabetes.

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, diet, medical nutrition therapy, low-carbohydrate diet, glycemic control, pre-diabetes.