Do low-carb diets help reduce your risk of diabetes?
Not if the carbs are upstaged by meat, cheese, and other unhealthful sources of fat. A better way: Get your protein and fat from vegetable sources. It could whittle your risk of diabetes along with your waist.

Low-Carb Lingo
When women in a study took a smart approach to low-carb eating -- sticking to plant sources of fat and protein instead of loading up on cheese, bacon, and the like -- their risk of diabetes actually dipped a bit on the low-carb plan. More studies are needed to determine what impact low-carb eating has on other health factors, like heart health, cancer risk, and long-term weight management. Check out this article for a breakdown of how the South Beach Diet, Atkin's, and several other popular weight loss plans work.

Carb Conundrum
The other caveat with a low-carb diet is that some of them seriously restrict whole grains and veggies. Not exactly a recipe for good health! For a breakdown of good carbs vs. bad carbs, check out this tip.

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