A recent study presented in Milan indicates that very low-carbohydrate diets may improve blood sugar control and reduce insulin needs in children with type 1 diabetes without immediate safety concerns, though longer-term research is needed.
Very low-carbohydrate diets may help children with type 1 diabetes improve blood sugar control without obvious short-term safety problems, according to new research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan. The findings add to a growing, but still mixed, body of evidence suggesting that reducing carbohydrate intake can lower insulin needs and improve glycaemic control, while also underlining the need for longer follow-up and careful monitoring.
The study, led by Christian Denzer of University Medical Centre Ulm in Germany and Belinda Lennerz of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, analysed nearly 25 years of registry data on more than 45,000 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Children were grouped by how much of their estimated energy intake came from carbohydrate, with a very low-carbohydrate diet defined as less than 10%. Those on very low-carbohydrate and low-carbohydrate diets showed more favourable trajectories for body mass index, HbA1c and basal insulin use than those eating a standard or higher-carbohydrate diet.
The researchers also reported no evidence that very low-carbohydrate diets were linked to stunted growth, severe hypoglycaemia or diabetic ketoacidosis in the children studied. That is notable because paediatric specialists have long worried that highly restrictive diets could affect growth, nutritional completeness and metabolic safety. Earlier reviews and clinical guidance have similarly stressed that any diet used in children with type 1 diabetes should be individualised and closely supervised to reduce the risk of nutritional gaps and other complications.
Still, the evidence is not settled. A 2018 systematic review found the overall literature too inconsistent to draw firm conclusions, while more recent reviews have pointed to possible benefits alongside concerns about LDL cholesterol and paediatric growth. Small randomised trials published in recent years have added further support for the approach, but the new registry analysis remains observational, meaning it cannot prove cause and effect. The authors said the results are encouraging, but that larger and longer studies are still needed to define the safest and most effective carbohydrate intake for children with type 1 diabetes.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
