Diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who are obese may gain more heart benefits from a low-calorie diet than from medication, according to new research.
Researchers analyzed data from 15 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus over a period of four months. Participants ate a low-calorie diet of 500 calories per day which resulted in an average decrease in body mass index (BMI) from 35.3 to 27.5. the diet also led to a reduction in pericardial fat – the fat surrounding the heart that can be troublesome for heart functioning.
At the 14-month follow-up, the average BMI rose to 31.7 but the pericardial fat increased just a tiny bit to 32 ml.
According to lead author Sebastiaan Hammer of the Leiden University Medical Center, it’s remarkable how simple and effective a low-calorie diet is for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2. Since the effects are long-term, this type of change has great potential.
Medical Daily quotes Hammer as saying, "Our results show that 16 weeks of caloric restriction improved heart function in these patients… More importantly, despite regain of weight, these beneficial cardiovascular effects were persistent over the long term."
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, a disease affecting nearly 26 million Americans.
The research was presented on Monday at the meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
