Does a low-carb diet help people with prediabetes?

Scientists randomly assigned 150 adults with prediabetes to eat their usual diet or to cut carbs (to less than 40 grams a day for 3 months, then to less than 60 grams a day for 3 more months). The low-carb dieters were told to eat unsaturated fats, high-fiber foods, and little or no refined grains or added sugars.

After 6 months, average hemoglobin A1c levels (a long-term measure of blood sugar) and fasting blood sugar fell (modestly) only in the low-carb group. That’s probably because, on average, the people in that group ate fewer calories and lost 13 pounds.

What to do

Any diet is likely to beat a “usual” diet. But a healthy low-carb diet is worth a try if you have prediabetes.