SACN Lower carbohydrate diets for adults with type 2 diabetes

The purpose of this report was to review the evidence on ‘low’ carbohydrate diets compared to current UK government advice on carbohydrate intake for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

It was initiated in response to a request from Public Health England, for a systematic assessment of the scientific evidence on ‘low’ carbohydrate diets, in recognition that such diets are increasingly being promoted.

Current UK government advice for the general UK population is that approximately 50% of total dietary energy (TE) should be obtained from carbohydrates. There are no separate recommendations on carbohydrate intake for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the advice for the general UK population also applies to those with T2D.

Since there is no agreed and widely used definition of a ‘low’ carbohydrate diet, comparisons in this report were between lower and higher carbohydrate diets.