Substantial and sustained improvements in blood pressure, weight and lipid profiles from a carbohydrate restricted diet: an observational study of insulin resistant patients in primary care

Unwin, D. J., Tobin, S. D., Murray, S. W., Delon, C. and Brady, A. J. (2019) Substantial and sustained improvements in blood pressure, weight and lipid profiles from a carbohydrate restricted diet: an observational study of insulin resistant patients in primary care. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15), 2680. (doi: 10.3390/ijerph16152680) (PMID:31357547) (PMCID:PMC6695889)

Abstract

Hypertension is the second biggest known global risk factor for disease after poor diet; perhaps lifestyle interventions are underutilized? In a previous small pilot study, it was found that a low carbohydrate diet was associated with significant improvements in blood pressure, weight, ‘deprescribing’ of medications and lipid profiles. We were interested to investigate if these results would be replicated in a larger study based in ‘real world’ GP practice. 154 patients with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance were recruited into an observational cohort study in primary care. The effects of a low carbohydrate diet sustained for an average of two years (interquartile range 10–32 months) on cardiovascular risk factors were examined. Results demonstrate significant and substantial reductions in blood pressure (mean reduction of systolic BP 10.9 mmHg (interquartile range 0–22 mmHg) (p < 0.0001), mean reduction in diastolic BP 6.3 mmHg (interquartile range 0–12.8 mmHg) (p < 0.0001) and mean weight reduction of 9.5 Kg (interquartile range 5–13 Kg) (p < 0.0001) together with marked improvement in lipid profiles. This occurred despite a 20% reduction in anti-hypertensive medications. This novel and potentially highly effective dietary modification, done very cheaply alongside routine care, offers hope that should be tested in a large prospective trial.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Brady, Dr Adrian

Creator Roles

Brady, A. J.: Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Unwin, D. J., Tobin, S. D., Murray, S. W., Delon, C., and Brady, A. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Journal Name: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1661-7827
• ISSN (Online): 1660-4601
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(15):2680
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License