Higher Fat Low Carbohydrate Diet to Improve Health Related Quality of Life for Overweight or Obese Diabetics in a Primary Care Clinic

Diabetes and obesity are chronic diseases that affect individuals worldwide. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have developed guidelines for management of diabetes and obesity. The DNP student examined the use of the Higher Fat Low Carbohydrate (HFLC) diet, which conflicts with these frequently used guidelines. The literature on a HFLC diet suggests positive effects for type 2 diabetics, including weight loss, improved HA1c, lower BMI and no detrimental impact on metabolic markers such as cholesterol, triglycerides, or low and high density lipoproteins. The purpose of this project was to provide type 2 diabetics who are overweight or obese with a HFLC dietary educational tool and assess health related quality of life (HRQOL). Using a qualitative approach follow up included a monthly phone call for 2 months after the education with questions on the participant’s experience following the HFLC diet in order to evaluate and modify the tool. A pre and post project survey was also used to examine HRQOL. The project survey results showed decreased experiences of being overwhelmed related to the diabetes diagnosis, not knowing if mood or feelings were related to diabetes, and worrying about low blood sugar or other complications. Although HA1c and BMI were not assessed in this project, future work should examine these outcomes for patients following a HFLC diet