re: Just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

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Show me a randomized control trial of carnivore vs a calorie controlled diet and/or exercise where weight loss is equated that shows superiority.

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The calorie model, to me, seems to be a refutation of the entire field of endocrinology. People want to talk thermodynamics, but that doesn't hold when different foods produce different effects.

Also, trying to equate for weight loss is probably impossible and I don't see how it's logical.

Weight loss is downstream of the intervention, it's an outcome. Weight loss and biochemistry markers are so tightly intertwined that it would be insanely problematic from a conceptual level and probably impossible mathematically to introduce an intervention and then stratify further outcomes according to weight loss. If you had a model where these things were concretely downstream such as diet to weight loss to promotion at work, that would be feasible. But here, things are too interwoven. If you draw a causal diagram you'll quickly find arrows leading forward and backwards and you'll have a cyclic diagram, and that is intractable mathematically.

Here's an excerpt from a review article on keto v calorie restriction, discussing the results of a study.
In another study [33] concerning the effects of ketogenic diet in comparison with low-calorie diet in type 2 diabetes it has been shown that although both LCD and LCKD had beneficial effects on type 2 diabetes, the ketogenic diet has more advantages over the conventional LCD in obese diabetic subjects. Three hundred and sixty-three overweight and obese subjects (86 men and 277 women) were enrolled in this 24-week trial. Among the men, 28 were diabetic and 58 were nondiabetic; among the women, 74 were diabetic and 203 were nondiabetic. Altogether, 102 participants had type 2 diabetes and 261 were nondiabetic. The inclusion criteria of diabetic subjects in this study were as follows. The age of the patient should be at least 18 years, the BMI should be >25 kg/m2 and the fasting serum glucose level should be >125 mg/dL (>6.9 mmol/L). Patients with renal insufficiency, liver disease, or unstable cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study. The participants were asked to select either a low-calorie diet or LCKD. Initially, participants in the LCKD group were given about 20 g/day of carbohydrates.

Written instructions concerning the importance and how to complete the food records were given to all participants before the beginning of the study. All the paricipants realized the seriousness of this and were very cooperative in completing the take-home food record as per the directions. All the participants submitted the completed food records at the beginning of the study and at weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. Similar to the previous study mentioned above [33], all the parameters such as blood glucose level, body weight, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides were determined before and at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks after the administration of the LCD or LCKD. In addition, changes in hemoglobin and glycosylated hemoglobin at the time points mentioned above were measured. Hypoglycemic episodes and symptomatic side effects in participants in both the diet groups were assessed by direct interview of the participant on a biweekly basis and necessary medication adjustment were done.

The results of this study showed that although the blood glucose level decreased in both the groups, the effectiveness of LCKD was more beneficial than the LCD group (Fig. ?(Fig.2).2). Furthermore, with regard to the blood glucose levels, the effectiveness of the LCKD was much greater (p < 0.0001) in the diabetic LCKD group than in the LCD group as compared to their initial and final measurements. A similar pattern was observed in the HbA1c levels (Fig. ?(Fig.2).2). As compared with the initial (week 1) and final (week 24), the effectiveness of the LCKD was much greater in normalizing the HbA1c level in the diabetic LCKD group than in the LCD group. There was a significant difference (p < 0.0001) in the body weight of both diabetic and nondiabetic participants in both the low calorie and ketogenic diet program. Similar to that observed in the above-mentioned parameters, there was a decrease in lipid levels in both diabetic and nondiabetic participants of the LCKD and LCD groups. The LCKD group, however, showed a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) in triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL levels and a significant increase in the HDL level (p < 0.0001) in the LCKD group as compared to the LCD group. In general, the LCD and LCKD had beneficial effects on all the parameters examined. Interestingly, these changes were pronounced in subjects who were on the LCKD as compared with those on the LCD.
Review article can be found at pubmed free full text