Carbohydrate-rich, fat-poor diet in diabetes

A carbohydrate-rich, low-fat diet has been used for one and a half to two and a half years in the treatment of nine diabetic patients with retinopathy. The marked variations in the plasma lipid levels, commonly seen in diabetes, were reduced and their level was normalized. The results of renal clearance determinations and of studies on the coronary and cutaneous circulation did not change significantly. In the retina, the hard exudates diminished or disappeared but proliferative lesions showed a tendency to progress.