Before you start looking for more invasive treatments to help reduce the symptoms of your lipedema, there are a few tools you have right at home, and every little bit helps! Your nutrition plays a key factor in how and when your body experiences edema (swelling), and a large player in this experience is in response to the food you eat. Read more about a lipedema diet you can follow below!
What is the Best Diet for Lipedema?
The best diet for women with lipedema focuses on reducing swelling and inflammation, maintaining low insulin levels, and adhering to a low glycemic index. The Rare Adipose Disorder (RAD) Diet is one option that targets these issues, but recent research has shown that a low-carbohydrate diet can also effectively limit pain and improve quality of life. By keeping insulin levels in check and minimizing inflammation, a low-carb approach may offer relief for those with lipedema while promoting overall health.
Keeping insulin levels in check and minimizing inflammation are crucial for managing lipedema because both factors directly influence the progression and symptoms of the condition. Elevated insulin levels can lead to increased fat storage and exacerbate lipedema tissue growth, while chronic inflammation worsens swelling and pain, further impairing mobility. By reducing insulin spikes and controlling inflammation, women with lipedema can better manage symptoms like pain, tenderness, and swelling, improving their overall quality of life and potentially slowing disease progression. Diets that emphasize low glycemic index foods support these goals effectively.
The Rare Adipose Disorder Diet (AKA RAD Diet)
Dr. Wright recommends following a Rare Adipose Disorder (RAD) diet, a modification to a standard Mediterranean diet that helps you maintain a low glycemic index to limit the number of occurrences and levels your blood sugar spikes through the day. In order to do this, it is recommended that you avoid any refined or processed starches and sugars. These are usually found in pasta, rice, bread, corn, and potatoes. Avoiding processed food – especially processed carbohydrates – will keep your insulin levels low and provide you the best chance of limiting inflammation.
Lipedema experts also report that avoiding refined starches is helpful, but alone may not prevent symptoms from flaring up. It is also recommended that individuals with lipedema may want to reduce dietary inflammation triggers. The dietary triggers of inflammation vary from individual to individual and need to be investigated through systematic trial and error. Some lipedema patients may have gluten or dairy sensitivities. Gluten is typically found in wheat, rye, and barley. If you have a gluten sensitivity instead of gluten, make sure your lipedema diet focuses on foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and are also high in fiber to assist your body in burning fat and fighting inflammation. Focus on colorful foods, like nuts, beans, fish, and whole grains.
Mediterranean Diet Leads Over Keto in Recent Study
Researchers from Stanford University found both diets improved blood glucose and led to comparable weight loss. However, this study shows keto may elevate LDL cholesterol, lacks essential nutrients, and is more difficult to maintain over time.
Study: During the study, 30 adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes followed the Mediterranean diet and the keto diet for 12 weeks each. Both lipedema diets served non-starchy vegetables and avoid added sugars and refined grains, but there are three key differences between them: the Mediterranean diet incorporates legumes, fruits, and whole grains – keto does not.
Lipedema Diet Results:
- A1c values improved after baseline on both diets, and levels did not differ between them
- Keto saw a bigger decrease in triglycerides (16% vs. –5%)
- LDL cholesterol was higher in keto dieters (+10% vs. 5%)
- Both lipedema diets had similar weight loss (8% keto vs. 7% Mediterranean)
- HDL cholesterol increased (11% keto vs. 7% Mediterranean)
- Keto had a lower intake of fiber and three essential nutrients: folate, vitamin C, and magnesium
- More likely to adhere to Mediterranean over keto, suggests the Mediterranean, lipedema diet is more sustainable
Note: Please work with a doctor or nutritionist to choose a dietary pattern that fits your needs and preferences. The potential harms of higher LDL associated with keto cannot be dismissed.
Low-Carb Diet for Managing Lipedema Pain
A study published in Obesity evaluated the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) on pain and quality of life in women with lipedema. The randomized controlled trial involved 70 female patients and compared LCD with a standard control diet over eight weeks. Results showed that the LCD group experienced greater weight loss and reduced pain, though there was no direct link between pain reduction and weight loss. Both groups saw improvements in quality of life, but the LCD group reported superior pain relief.
Low-Carb Diet vs. Keto
The main difference between a low-carb diet and the keto diet lies in the amount of carbohydrate intake and how the body uses energy. A low-carb diet generally reduces carbs to below 100–150 grams per day but doesn’t always induce ketosis (a metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel). The keto diet, however, limits carbs to 20–50 grams per day, which forces the body into ketosis by using fat (ketones) instead of glucose as the primary energy source. Keto is stricter in carb restriction than most low-carb diets.
References:
1 Micke, O., Bruns, F., Schäfer, U., Kisters, K., Hesselmann, S., and Willich, N. (2000) Selenium in the treatment of acute and chronic lymphedema. Trace Elements and Electrolytes 17, 206-209 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12694822
2 Kasseroller, R. G., and Schrauzer, G. N. (2000) Treatment of secondary lymphedema of the arm with physical decongestive therapy and sodium selenite: a review. Am J Ther 7, 273-279 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11486162
3 [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10667641] shows the effectiveness of Diosmin Diosmin significantly improved symptoms such as leg pain, heaviness, and cramps. Diosmin also improved leg edema or swelling and decreased leg circumference. Other studies have shown Diosmin improved venous ulcer healing, hemorrhoids, and lymphedema. [Citation http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/16014984]
DiCorleto, P. (2014). Why you should pay attention to chronic inflammation. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/10/why-you-should-pay-attention-to-chronic-inflammation/
Doheny, K., & Chang, L. (2008). Anti-inflammatory Diet: Road to Good Health? Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/anti-inflammatory-diet-road-to-good-health?page=3
Erlich, S.D. (2015). Omega-3 fatty acids. University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega3-fatty-acids
