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Low-fat diet intervention to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes
Research on the role of fat on insulin resistance shows that lowering consumption of fat, especially saturated fat, can help regulate blood sugar and manage type two diabetes. In fact, a comparative study on the effects of low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets concluded that low-fat diets showed just as much improvement in glycemic control as low-carbohydrate diets in adults with type 2 diabetes. Studies done on mice concluded that high fat diets actually increased weight gain (a risk factor for type 2 diabetes) despite the diets' low carbohydrate content. However, the reasons for these correlations is unclear, as it is possible that the difference in glycemic control may be attributed simply to the weight gain or loss caused by these diets rather than the composition of the diet itself.

The debate over the role of fat on insulin resistance is controversial, but research finds that saturated fats increase inflammation in the body, disrupting cell signaling and inducing insulin resistance. In addition, saturated fatty acids slow down the mechanisms that drive the oxidation of glucose and fatty acids. This process then contributes to the weight gain that further aggravates insulin resistance. The recent discoveries about the relationship between fat and type 2 diabetes led the American Diabetes Association to recommend a diet that is rich in replaces saturated fat with monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3 fatty acids to prevent and treat type two diabetes as well as lower the risk of heart disease.

One of the case studies that spurred the low-carbohydrate movement looked at the Inuit population. Proponents of a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fats asserted that the Inuit populate saw extremely low rates of both heart disease and diabetes. They credited this difference to the population's difference in diet to the western diet. They consumed very low amounts of carbohydrates (sometimes none during the winter) and instead consumed high amounts of fish high in fat (especially omega-3 fatty acids). However, the claims on the health of the Inuit were made at a frozen point in time and the modern day population actually has higher rates of heart disease and lower life expectancy (about 10 years lower) than the U.S. population. This unparalleled comparison also makes it likely that the the health differences may result from a number of other factors outside of carbohydrate consumption. Overall, meta-analysis shows that low-fat diets are just as successful as low-carbohydrate diets at controlling metabolic risk factors.