An estimated 86 million Americans in the United States age 20 and older are classified as prediabetic. Prediabetes is defined as an individual having a higher blood sugar than normal increasing the risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM). T2DM is among the top ten leading causes of death in the United States and costs an estimated 245 billion dollars annually. Interventions need to take place among patients with prediabetes in order to prevent the T2DM epidemic from compounding. This study examined the effects of a six-week low carbohydrate diet on A1C values, weight and BMI, and cardiovascular markers among patients with prediabetes. A retrospective chart review examined 1,169 patients with prediabetes that met inclusion criteria from July 2013 to April 2016. Patients had completed a six-week low carbohydrate diet program with weekly clinic visits with a nurse practitioner and followed the prescribed low carbohydrate diet. A significant difference in means was found when comparing pre A1C values (M= 5.93, SD= 0.20) and post A1C values (M= 5.57, SD= 0.25); (t (1142) = 49.3, p = 0.00), pre intervention weight (M= 227.0, SD= 52.0) and post intervention weight (M = 209.5, SD = 48.0); (t (1168) = 79.3, p = 0.00), and pre BMI (M = 36.8, SD = 7.0) and post BMI (M = 34.0, SD = 6.6); (t (1168) = 77.8, p = 0.00). Additionally, statistical significance was found for cardiovascular markers including systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides. These findings suggest that a low carbohydrate diet is effective at improving metabolic risk factors for prediabetes and preventing the progression to T2DM. Low carbohydrate diets should be further examined for long term effectiveness and could be recommended to patients with prediabetes in order to reverse the epidemic of T2DM.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/621794 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Humphrey, Amy Kathryn, Humphrey, Amy Kathryn |
| Contributors | McArthur, Donna, McArthur, Donna, Prettyman, Allen, Christianson-Silva, Paula |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Electronic Dissertation |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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