New studies evaluating the effects of high-carbohydrate and high-
monounsaturated fat diets indicate that patients with type 2 diabetes
suffered of modestly raises blood pressure after being exposed to 14
weeks of a high-carbohydrate diet compared to a diet high in
monounsaturated fat.
One diet consisted in a high-carbohydrate diet consisting of 55 per
cent of calories as carbohydrate, 30 percent as fat, and 10 percent as
monounsaturated fat. The other diet consisted in a high-monounsaturated
fat diet deriving 40 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 45 percent
from fat, and 25 percent from monounsaturated fat.
The research compared the effect of two same-calorie diets among 42
patients with type 2 diabetes, who consumed each diet for 6 weeks, with
about 1 week between the two periods. These patients were invited to
continue the second diet for 8 weeks more. Eightof them continued on
the high-monounsaturated fat diet and 13 continued on the
high-carbohydrate diet.
Findings after the first 6-week periods demonstrated that there were no
significant differences between both diets in systolic or diastolic
blood pressure, the upper and lower numbers on a standard reading,
respectively, or in heart rate.
After the 8 week-extension, diastolic blood pressure was 7 points
higher than at the end of both 6-week phases, because of the high
carbohydrate diet associated, and systolic blood pressure was 6 points
higher, and heart rate was higher by 7 to 8 beats per minute.
On the other hand, there was a significant lowering of heart rate
compared with the end of the initial 6-week periods during the 8-week
extension of the high-monounsaturated fat diet. There was almost no
statistical significance between Systolic and diastolic blood pressure
that were 3 to 4 points lower after 14 weeks on the
high-monounsaturated fat diet.
