In this recently published case report, we see a community hospital strive toward a new standard of care for approaching patients with type 2 diabetes.
What therapeutic agent is at the center of the new paradigm? A ketogenic diet.
Diabetes Management: A clinician's guide to inpatient low carbohydrate diets for remission of type 2 diabetes : toward a standard of care protocolDr. Mark Cucuzzella has been at the forefront of this years-long effort in the hospital where he sees patients. He has been the change agent, supported by open-minded administrators and countless hospital employees - from the nursing staff to the dietitians - who willingly participate, day-to-day, in this innovative approach to care.
Cucuzzella and his co-authors, including Diet Doctor contributor Adele Hite MPH RD, document this important work in their ambitious case report:
The article outlines a seven-stage protocol developed from practice-based evidence to be used in an inpatient setting to minimize the requirement for insulin or other hypoglycemic medications and to normalize markers of type 2 diabetes in patients with this condition.
The protocol consists of:
- patient selection;
- pre-diet evaluation and counseling;
- patient education;
- initiating the dietary intervention;
- managing medication changes;
- addressing any side effects; and
- follow-up.
...We do not expect this guidance to provide a "one-size-fits-all" approach to care; rather we expect that knowledge gained from the clinical experiences of others will inform a continued improvement in how low-carbohydrate dietary interventions are used to treat patients... With a simple, safe, effective dietary intervention, we can change the conversation around T2DM from one of progression to one of remission.
Congratulations to those involved in the publication of this official step toward establishing a new standard of care for reversing type 2 diabetes with carbohydrate restriction.