A diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates is better for people with type-2 diabetes, new Swedish study published in the journal Diabetologia says.

In diabetes 2, the body produces insulin (a hormone that breaks down sugar) but the cells are unable to use it as opposed to diabetes 1 where the body does not produce insulin.

Generally, people with diabetes are advised to stay on low-fat diets.

This study group had 61 participants who had type-2 diabetes. These participants were randomly assigned in two groups. One group was kept on low fat diet while the other on low carbohydrate - high fat diet.

In the low fat diet, proteins accounted for only 10 to 15 percent of energy supply, while in the high fat diet nearly 30 percent of energy came from proteins.

Both groups recorded an average weight loss of 4kgs (about 9 pounds).

People who were on low carbohydrate (high fat) had better control over the blood sugar levels of the body. They also had considerable amount of “good fat”.

On the other hand, people on low-fat diet managed to lose the same amount of weight but had no difference in the levels of insulin in the body.

Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says that replacing carbohydrates with fat, especially a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a better idea while trying to control the glucose level in people with type-2 diabetes.

"You could ask yourself if it really is good to recommend a low-fat diet to patients with diabetes, if despite their weight loss they get neither better lipoproteins nor blood glucose levels," Fredrik Nyström, professor of Internal Medicine and co-author of the study said.

It is believed that lifestyle changes like healthy diet and proper exercise delay, or in some cases, prevent the onset of diabetes 2.

Some studies say that higher intake of fruits and vegetables lowers risk of diabetes type-2.

The diets prescribed for participants in the present study were on par with the recommended intake by Swedish National Food Agency.

"In contrast to most other studies of this type, we lost no patients at all, which vouches for the good quality of our data,” Hans Guldbrand, general practitioner and co-author said.