Crash course diet reverses Type 2 diabetes?
Discussion
An interesting, albeit small scale, study.
Telegraph said:
Britain's 2.5 million people with Type 2 diabetes are offered new hope today as scientists show the disease can be reversed in as little as seven days by going on a crash-course diet.
Adhering to the strict 600 calorie-a-day diet causes fat levels in the pancreas to plummet, restoring normal function, found Prof Roy Taylor of Newcastle University.
The discovery, a "radical change" in understanding of the condition, holds out the possibility that sufferers could cure themselves - if they have the willpower.
Until recently received medical wisdom was that Type 2 diabetes was largely irreversible.
But this small-scale study indicates that defeating it could be easier than commonly thought.
Prof Taylor asked 11 volunteers, all recently diagnosed, to go on what he admitted was an "extreme diet" of specially formulated drinks and non-starchy vegetables, for eight weeks.
After just a week, pre-breakfast ('fasting') blood sugar levels had returned to normal, suggesting a resumption of correct pancreas function.
After eight weeks, all had managed to reverse their diabetes. Three months on, seven remained free of it.
Prof Taylor explained that too much fat "clogged up" the operation of the pancreas at a cellular level, preventing normal secretion of insulin which regulates blood sugar.
When this fat was removed - by way of the diet - normal function resumed.
He said: "This is a radical change in understanding Type 2 diabetes. It will change how we can explain it to people newly diagnosed with the condition.
"While it has long been believed that someone with Type 2 diabetes will always have the disease, and that it will steadily get worse, we have shown that we can reverse the condition."
Gordon Parmley, 67, from Stocksfield in Northumberland, one of the volunteers, said: "At the end of the trial, I was told my insulin levels were normal and after six years, I no longer needed my diabetes tablets.
"Still today, 18 months on, I don’t take them. It’s astonishing really that a diet – hard as it was – could change my health so drastically."
The idea of the crash diet came from the observation that gastric bypass patients often quickly stopped being Type 2 diabetics.
Many thought this was because surgery affected gut hormones which had a knock-on impact on the pancreas.
But Prof Taylor thought it might really be because the surgery severely constrained what patients could eat. He set up the diet experiment to test his 'fat' hypothesis.
He said special MRI scans showed the proportion of fat in volunteers' pancreases dropped during the eight weeks, from eight to six per cent.
"This study does not just show proof of principal, it shows proof of mechanism," he concluded.
He believed the diet would also work in people who had suffered from Type 2 diabetes for years, as bariatric surgery patients tended to remain diabetes-free. He is presenting the findings to the American Diabetes Association conference in San Diego this weekend.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, which supported the study, said: "It shows that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, on a par with successful surgery without the side effects. However, this diet is not an easy fix."
Whether the reversal "would remain in the long term" was still an open question.
Despite the diet's potential, Prof Taylor was a little pessimistic about how many would stick to it.
"Maybe five per cent," he said. "However, if they did, it would save the NHS many millions of pounds."
Almost a tenth of the entire NHS budget, or about £9 billion a year, is spent managing diabetes and its complications. Most of that is spent on type 2 diabetics, who outnumber type 1 diabetics by about nine to one.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8594293/Crash-course-diet-reverses-Type-2-diabetes-in-a-week.htmlAdhering to the strict 600 calorie-a-day diet causes fat levels in the pancreas to plummet, restoring normal function, found Prof Roy Taylor of Newcastle University.
The discovery, a "radical change" in understanding of the condition, holds out the possibility that sufferers could cure themselves - if they have the willpower.
Until recently received medical wisdom was that Type 2 diabetes was largely irreversible.
But this small-scale study indicates that defeating it could be easier than commonly thought.
Prof Taylor asked 11 volunteers, all recently diagnosed, to go on what he admitted was an "extreme diet" of specially formulated drinks and non-starchy vegetables, for eight weeks.
After just a week, pre-breakfast ('fasting') blood sugar levels had returned to normal, suggesting a resumption of correct pancreas function.
After eight weeks, all had managed to reverse their diabetes. Three months on, seven remained free of it.
Prof Taylor explained that too much fat "clogged up" the operation of the pancreas at a cellular level, preventing normal secretion of insulin which regulates blood sugar.
When this fat was removed - by way of the diet - normal function resumed.
He said: "This is a radical change in understanding Type 2 diabetes. It will change how we can explain it to people newly diagnosed with the condition.
"While it has long been believed that someone with Type 2 diabetes will always have the disease, and that it will steadily get worse, we have shown that we can reverse the condition."
Gordon Parmley, 67, from Stocksfield in Northumberland, one of the volunteers, said: "At the end of the trial, I was told my insulin levels were normal and after six years, I no longer needed my diabetes tablets.
"Still today, 18 months on, I don’t take them. It’s astonishing really that a diet – hard as it was – could change my health so drastically."
The idea of the crash diet came from the observation that gastric bypass patients often quickly stopped being Type 2 diabetics.
Many thought this was because surgery affected gut hormones which had a knock-on impact on the pancreas.
But Prof Taylor thought it might really be because the surgery severely constrained what patients could eat. He set up the diet experiment to test his 'fat' hypothesis.
He said special MRI scans showed the proportion of fat in volunteers' pancreases dropped during the eight weeks, from eight to six per cent.
"This study does not just show proof of principal, it shows proof of mechanism," he concluded.
He believed the diet would also work in people who had suffered from Type 2 diabetes for years, as bariatric surgery patients tended to remain diabetes-free. He is presenting the findings to the American Diabetes Association conference in San Diego this weekend.
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, which supported the study, said: "It shows that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, on a par with successful surgery without the side effects. However, this diet is not an easy fix."
Whether the reversal "would remain in the long term" was still an open question.
Despite the diet's potential, Prof Taylor was a little pessimistic about how many would stick to it.
"Maybe five per cent," he said. "However, if they did, it would save the NHS many millions of pounds."
Almost a tenth of the entire NHS budget, or about £9 billion a year, is spent managing diabetes and its complications. Most of that is spent on type 2 diabetics, who outnumber type 1 diabetics by about nine to one.
NoVetec said:
Certainly interesting.
Thing is, once people go back to a 'normal' diet, would they become diabetic again?
Sounds like once the excess fat is removed from the pancreas then everything goes back to normal. I have type 2 diabetes, but it is hereditary .Thing is, once people go back to a 'normal' diet, would they become diabetic again?
I have just given up smoking so this could be the next challenge .
Low carbing has a very similar effect e.g. Bernstein diet (also used by some type 1 diabetics) http://www.diabetes-book.com/
oldbanger said:
Low carbing has a very similar effect e.g. Bernstein diet (also used by some type 1 diabetics) http://www.diabetes-book.com/
This is pretty much what I do now. Atkins more or less.Hoping this is tested some more. Hacked off with diabetes and looking like an anorexic skeleton
I know a Lighterlife counsellor who messes with the minds of very overweight people to teach them how to not rely on food (kind of in the same way Alcoholics Anon work with alcohol).
With AA you can say to somebody you must stop drinking but being addicted to food makes that tricky so they give them all the nutrients they need in packs and they burn their fat stores which causes the weight loss.
These packs give them about 600 calories a day (same as the research study) and she's seen for years that people with Type 2 diabetes come off their medication very, very quickly but the research is the first time it's been proven.
LighterLife is medically monitored because of this sort of effect - people on strong medication need to be monitored because they lose weight quickly and need their medication scaled back so they are on the correct dose - as their weight drops their ailments become less serious and so need less medication.
In answer to the question about will their type 2 diabetes return - yes if they return to old eating habits and shovel in loads of sugar and refined carbs, no if they put in place the strategies they are taught to keep the weight off and eat normally.
With AA you can say to somebody you must stop drinking but being addicted to food makes that tricky so they give them all the nutrients they need in packs and they burn their fat stores which causes the weight loss.
These packs give them about 600 calories a day (same as the research study) and she's seen for years that people with Type 2 diabetes come off their medication very, very quickly but the research is the first time it's been proven.
LighterLife is medically monitored because of this sort of effect - people on strong medication need to be monitored because they lose weight quickly and need their medication scaled back so they are on the correct dose - as their weight drops their ailments become less serious and so need less medication.
In answer to the question about will their type 2 diabetes return - yes if they return to old eating habits and shovel in loads of sugar and refined carbs, no if they put in place the strategies they are taught to keep the weight off and eat normally.
dirty boy said:
Makes you wonder what other issues can be resolved around just healthy eating alone.
Cholesterol and blood pressure to a great extent; that was what was illustrated in the TV program.Working class said:
Everyone should read the book 'syndrome x'. I never realised how bad processed carbs and sugar were for us. One of my fears is getting diabetes as I hate needles.
The Patrick Holford books have been saying this sort of thing for years. haven't read the full article but i remain rather sceptical. for starters, he only used recently diagnosed, how many of the 2.5 million in the UK are chronic, long term sufferers.
besides, type 2 diabetics don't have much of a problem with the pancreas, they can still produce insulin, it's the target cells for the homones which have become unresponsive to it.
a decent diet will all but "cure" diabetes in the sense of being able to maintain normal blood sugar levels, that's no surprise. what it would be interesting to see if these (just 11!!!) people who have done this crash course would get a sudden, sustained rise in blood sugar levels after a glucose load, or whether their blood glucose levels would quickly return to within normal limits reasonably quickly (like non-diabetics).
it's interesting, and i do hope it works. i should read the article but i'm too tired at the moment
so far i remain unconvinced. doesn't help it's such a small group of subjects, and only of those recently diagnosed, they should also have chronic sufferers to get something a little more meaningful.
besides, type 2 diabetics don't have much of a problem with the pancreas, they can still produce insulin, it's the target cells for the homones which have become unresponsive to it.
a decent diet will all but "cure" diabetes in the sense of being able to maintain normal blood sugar levels, that's no surprise. what it would be interesting to see if these (just 11!!!) people who have done this crash course would get a sudden, sustained rise in blood sugar levels after a glucose load, or whether their blood glucose levels would quickly return to within normal limits reasonably quickly (like non-diabetics).
it's interesting, and i do hope it works. i should read the article but i'm too tired at the moment
so far i remain unconvinced. doesn't help it's such a small group of subjects, and only of those recently diagnosed, they should also have chronic sufferers to get something a little more meaningful.Working class said:
Everyone should read the book 'syndrome x'. I never realised how bad processed carbs and sugar were for us. One of my fears is getting diabetes as I hate needles.
If you end up with type 2 you may never end up injecting.However, if you were to end up on insulin, you'd get over the fear pretty quickly. (Its injections, or coma and death, your choice.)
The needles used today are pretty tiny, mine are I think 5mm.
I'm highly sceptical that diet alone will cure Diabetes, it will make control easier and minimise hte long term complications, I guess in some very non-secure cases of type 2 it will make the symptoms all but disappear, but reverse it? No.
scotal said:
Working class said:
Everyone should read the book 'syndrome x'. I never realised how bad processed carbs and sugar were for us. One of my fears is getting diabetes as I hate needles.
If you end up with type 2 you may never end up injecting.However, if you were to end up on insulin, you'd get over the fear pretty quickly. (Its injections, or coma and death, your choice.)
The needles used today are pretty tiny, mine are I think 5mm.
I'm highly sceptical that diet alone will cure Diabetes, it will make control easier and minimise hte long term complications, I guess in some very non-secure cases of type 2 it will make the symptoms all but disappear, but reverse it? No.
type 1 is where the pancreas fails to produce insulin (basically), whereas type 2 is where you can produce insulin, but the target cells don't respond to it (so injecting with insulin would do very little).
usually type 2 diabetics only inject with insulin in very long standing and poorly controlled cases. otherwise, type 2 diabetics do NOT inject with insulin, i believe the most common drug used today is metformin.
Ross.
E21_Ross said:
are you sure you have type 2 diabetes mellitus? how old were you when you were diagnosed? typically it's type 1 which inject insulin.
You must have misunderstood me fella, I'm perfectly sure I've got type 1 thanks, I've been Diabetic for 32 years.
E21_Ross said:
usually type 2 diabetics only inject with insulin in very long standing and poorly controlled cases. otherwise, type 2 diabetics do NOT inject with insulin, i believe the most common drug used today is metformin.
If the condition worsens they will move you onto injections, as my mates father just found out.I always thought type 2 was Diabetes-lite, but having sat through the DAFNE course and had it explained to me in full earlier in the year, I'd rather have type 1 thanks.
scotal said:
E21_Ross said:
are you sure you have type 2 diabetes mellitus? how old were you when you were diagnosed? typically it's type 1 which inject insulin.
You must have misunderstood me fella, I'm perfectly sure I've got type 1 thanks, I've been Diabetic for 32 years.
scotal said:
If the condition worsens they will move you onto injections, as my mates father just found out.
I always thought type 2 was Diabetes-lite, but having sat through the DAFNE course and had it explained to me in full earlier in the year, I'd rather have type 1 thanks.
yup, hence i said in poorly controlled type 2 cases, they'll use injections I always thought type 2 was Diabetes-lite, but having sat through the DAFNE course and had it explained to me in full earlier in the year, I'd rather have type 1 thanks.
we both misunderstood each other, but actually agree with eachother
I know this thread is old however the subject of diabetes and it's link to ones diet is back in the news again.
BBC said:
Two meals a day 'effective' to treat type 2 diabetes
Only eating breakfast and lunch may be more effective at managing type 2 diabetes than eating smaller, more regular meals, scientists say.
Researchers in Prague fed two groups of 27 people the same calorie diet spread over two or six meals a day.
They found volunteers who ate two meals a day lost more weight than those who ate six, and their blood sugar dropped.
Experts said the study supported "existing evidence" that fewer, larger meals were the way forward.
Timing important?
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the blood, meaning blood sugar levels become too high.
If untreated, it can lead to heart disease and stroke, nerve damage, light-sensitive eyes and kidney disease.
About 2.9 million people in the UK are affected by diabetes, 90% of whom have the type 2 form of the disease.
Current advice in the UK recommends three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
Scientists at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague divided a group of 54 volunteers aged 30 to 70 with type 2 diabetes into two groups of 27 people.
Volunteers were then given either a six-meal-a-day diet (A6) for 12 weeks followed by a two-meal day diet (B2), or vice versa.
The study compared two meals with six meals - as the latter accorded with current practice advice in the Czech Republic, researchers said.
Each diet contained on average 1,700 calories a day.
'Very pleasing' result
The B2 group ate between 06:00 and 10:00 and then between 12:00 and 16:00, and the A6 group ate their food throughout the day.
Weight loss for the B2 group averaged 1.4kg (3lb) more than A6, and they lost about 4cm (1.5in) more from their waistlines.
Lead scientist Dr Hana Kahleova, at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, said the results were "very pleasing".
She said: "The patients were really afraid they would get hungry in the evening but feelings of hunger were lower as the patients ate until they were satisfied.
"But when they ate six times a day the meals were not leaving them feeling satisfied. It was quite surprising."
'Larger studies needed'
Dr Kahleova said the study could apply to people without diabetes who were trying to lose weight.
Dr Richard Elliott, research communications officer at Diabetes UK, said the study added to evidence that eating fewer, larger meals a day could be more effective than smaller, frequent meals at helping people manage their condition.
He added: "However, larger studies over longer periods of time will be needed to back up these findings before we would make changes to the dietary advice given to people with type 2 diabetes."
Dr Elliot said eating a healthy, balanced diet, being active and maintaining a healthy weight, alongside taking any medication was "vital" to effectively manage the condition.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27422547Only eating breakfast and lunch may be more effective at managing type 2 diabetes than eating smaller, more regular meals, scientists say.
Researchers in Prague fed two groups of 27 people the same calorie diet spread over two or six meals a day.
They found volunteers who ate two meals a day lost more weight than those who ate six, and their blood sugar dropped.
Experts said the study supported "existing evidence" that fewer, larger meals were the way forward.
Timing important?
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the blood, meaning blood sugar levels become too high.
If untreated, it can lead to heart disease and stroke, nerve damage, light-sensitive eyes and kidney disease.
About 2.9 million people in the UK are affected by diabetes, 90% of whom have the type 2 form of the disease.
Current advice in the UK recommends three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
Scientists at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague divided a group of 54 volunteers aged 30 to 70 with type 2 diabetes into two groups of 27 people.
Volunteers were then given either a six-meal-a-day diet (A6) for 12 weeks followed by a two-meal day diet (B2), or vice versa.
The study compared two meals with six meals - as the latter accorded with current practice advice in the Czech Republic, researchers said.
Each diet contained on average 1,700 calories a day.
'Very pleasing' result
The B2 group ate between 06:00 and 10:00 and then between 12:00 and 16:00, and the A6 group ate their food throughout the day.
Weight loss for the B2 group averaged 1.4kg (3lb) more than A6, and they lost about 4cm (1.5in) more from their waistlines.
Lead scientist Dr Hana Kahleova, at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, said the results were "very pleasing".
She said: "The patients were really afraid they would get hungry in the evening but feelings of hunger were lower as the patients ate until they were satisfied.
"But when they ate six times a day the meals were not leaving them feeling satisfied. It was quite surprising."
'Larger studies needed'
Dr Kahleova said the study could apply to people without diabetes who were trying to lose weight.
Dr Richard Elliott, research communications officer at Diabetes UK, said the study added to evidence that eating fewer, larger meals a day could be more effective than smaller, frequent meals at helping people manage their condition.
He added: "However, larger studies over longer periods of time will be needed to back up these findings before we would make changes to the dietary advice given to people with type 2 diabetes."
Dr Elliot said eating a healthy, balanced diet, being active and maintaining a healthy weight, alongside taking any medication was "vital" to effectively manage the condition.
Another similar study.
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed in just four months, trial shows
Type 2 diabetes can be reversed in just four months, trial shows
telegraph said:
The treatment plan involved creating a personalised exercise regime for each trial participant and reducing their calories by between 500 and 750 a day. The participants also met regularly with a nurse and dietician to track progress and continued to take medication and insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.
After just four months, 40 per cent of patients were able to stop taking their medication because their bodies had begun to produce adequate amounts of insulin again.
After just four months, 40 per cent of patients were able to stop taking their medication because their bodies had begun to produce adequate amounts of insulin again.
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