Impact of a Low-Carbohydrate vs. Low-Fat Breakfast on Blood Glucose Control in Type 2 Diabetes

Postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality in people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The highest glucose spike often occurs after the first morning meal, highlighting the major influence that breakfast has on overall glycemic control. We examined how advice and guidance to consume a low-carbohydrate (LC) versus standard dietary guidelines low-fat control (CTL) breakfast influenced glycemic control assessed by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Participants with T2D (N=121, 53% female, mean age 64 years) completed a remote 3-month parallel-group RCT comparing LC to CTL with 14-day CGM at the start and end of the intervention. Daily mean glucose, maximum glucose, area under the curve (AUC), mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, standard deviation (SD), and time above range (>10mmol/L) were all significantly lower, and time in range (3.9-10mmol/L) significantly higher, in the LC group versus CTL (all P<0.05). Post-breakfast mean and maximum glucose, SD and iAUC were also significantly lower in the LC group (all P<0.001). A low-carbohydrate breakfast appears to be a simple dietary strategy to improve several CGM metrics when compared to a typical dietary guidelines breakfast in persons living with T2D. Disclosure B.Oliveira: None. C.Chang: None. K.Falkenhain: None. K.Oetsch: None. M.E.Francois: None. J.P.Little: None. Funding Egg Nutrition Center; Egg Farmers of Canada