{"id":8147,"date":"2026-04-21T20:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=8147"},"modified":"2026-04-22T03:45:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:45:44","slug":"eating-a-high-fat-low-carb-diet-could-benefit-people-with-type-2-diabetes-study-suggests-reduces-strain-on-the-pancreas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=8147","title":{"rendered":"Eating a high-fat, low-carb diet could ‘benefit people with type 2 diabetes’, study suggests: ‘Reduces strain on the pancreas’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a><\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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A high\u2013fat, low\u2013carbohydrate diet could help improve how the pancreas functions in people with type 2 diabetes<\/a>, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

Researchers found that patients following the eating plan – commonly known as keto – showed signs of reduced stress on insulin\u2013producing cells, raising hopes it may support better disease management in some cases.<\/p>\n

The ketogenic diet is designed to push the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis, in which it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

In the latest US study, scientists from the University of Alabama<\/a> at Birmingham<\/a> analysed 51 adults with type 2 diabetes aged between 55 and 62.<\/p>\n

Participants were placed on either a ketogenic or a low\u2013fat diet, both structured to maintain body weight rather than promote weight loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Researchers then measured changes in a blood marker known as the proinsulin to C\u2013peptide ratio, which reflects how hard the pancreas is working to produce insulin.<\/p>\n

The results, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, showed that while both groups lost a modest amount of weight, those on the ketogenic diet experienced a greater improvement in this marker.<\/p>\n

This suggests the keto diet may reduce stress on beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin.<\/p>\n

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The ketogenic diet is a high\u2013fat, moderate\u2013protein and very low\u2013carbohydrate eating plan designed to force the body into a metabolic state called ketosis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘We showed that three months of a ketogenic diet was able to improve beta\u2013cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes,’ said lead researcher Marian Yurchishin.<\/p>\n

‘These improvements were associated with changes in the proinsulin\u2013C\u2013peptide ratio, a biomarker of pancreas stress.’<\/p>\n

She added that, outside of major interventions such as bariatric surgery or significant weight loss, there are currently few treatments known to directly improve beta\u2013cell function.<\/p>\n

However, experts stress the findings are based on a small, short\u2013term study and do not prove that type 2 diabetes can be reversed through diet alone.<\/p>\n

Type 2 diabetes affects around six million people in the UK and is closely linked to excess weight, inactivity and diet, although genetics also plays a role<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise remain central to managing the condition, researchers say further studies are needed to determine whether ketogenic diets could play a longer\u2013term role in improving pancreatic function or disease outcomes.<\/p>\n

Separate research has also examined potential downsides of the keto diet.<\/p>\n

A study from the University of Bath found that following a very low\u2013carbohydrate ketogenic diet for 12 weeks was linked to higher cholesterol levels and reductions in beneficial gut bacteria.<\/p>\n

The research suggested that while the diet may support weight loss, it could also have negative effects on metabolic health in some individuals.<\/p>\n

Scientists found that participants on a ketogenic diet showed changes in gut microbiome composition, including a reduction in bacteria linked to digestive and immune health.<\/p>\n

The study also raised concerns about increases in blood cholesterol levels, which are associated with a higher risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n

Researchers stressed that responses to the diet varied between individuals and that longer\u2013term effects remain unclear<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\nEating a high-fat, low-carb diet could ‘benefit people with type 2 diabetes’, study suggests: ‘Reduces strain on the pancreas’<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 10:11 EDT, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 12:28 EDT, 21 April 2026   A high\u2013fat, low\u2013carbohydrate diet could help improve how the pancreas functions in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Researchers found that patients following the eating plan – commonly known as keto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[987],"tags":[2770,2776,2772,2769,2773,1341,2775,2771,2774,2501],"class_list":{"0":"post-8147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthy-living","8":"tag-beta-cell-function","9":"tag-diabetes-management","10":"tag-insulin-performance","11":"tag-keto-2026","12":"tag-ketosis","13":"tag-metabolic-health","14":"tag-microbiome-impact","15":"tag-pancreatic-stress","16":"tag-proinsulin-ratio","17":"tag-type-2-diabetes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8167,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147\/revisions\/8167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}