The standard approach treats high blood sugar with medications while ignoring what caused it: chronically high insulin. A different approach—addressing the root cause—achieves remission rates up to 46% in real-world settings. Here's the evidence most doctors never see.
HDL
High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) is often called 'good cholesterol,' but this oversimplifies what it actually is. HDL isn't cholesterol itself—it's a transport particle that carries cholesterol and other substances from your tissues back to your liver for recycling or disposal. Higher HDL levels are generally associated with lower heart disease risk, which is why it earned the 'good' label. Low HDL (below 1.0-1.3 mmol/L) combined with high triglycerides is a strong indicator of insulin resistance and metabolic problems. Low-carb and keto diets typically raise HDL levels significantly, which is one marker of improved metabolic health.
Article (2)
The studies that blamed saturated fat? They actually showed vegetable oils increased death rates. Then the data disappeared for 40 years.
Research (6)
A 5‑year very‑low‑carb, remote‑care program for type 2 diabetes showed durable benefits: 20% remission among completers, 33% reached HbA1c <6.5% with no meds or only metformin, alongside less medication and improved heart‑risk markers.
This paper argues that restricting carbs should be the first-line diet for diabetes because it quickly lowers blood sugar, improves key health markers, and often reduces medications—without proven long‑term harms comparable to drugs.
Small, dense LDL exposes hidden heart risk your standard LDL misses — check triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL / ≥1.7 mmol/L) and HDL to catch it early.
Lower‑carb guidance in a UK GP practice led to 46% drug‑free type 2 diabetes remission and 93% normalization of prediabetes, with significant drops in HbA1c, weight, BP, and triglycerides.
Low-carb diets match or beat low-fat for Type 2 diabetes—often cutting meds and improving HbA1c—without evidence of increased cardiovascular risk.
Small, dense LDL exposes hidden heart risk: it predicts events even when LDL looks “normal.”