Posted on 06/24/2011 12:25:31 AM PDT by Mount Athos
Eating an ultra low-calorie diet can cure Type 2 diabetes in just eight weeks, dramatic new research has shown.
Even people who have suffered from the condition for years found the drastic diet could jump-start their body’s production of insulin.
The breakthrough is good news for the nearly 2.5 million people in Britain who have this type of diabetes, which is caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to break down glucose in the blood.
It could revolutionise the treatment of what has always been seen as a lifelong problem.
Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who led the research, said: “To have people free of diabetes after years with the condition is remarkable – and all because of an eight-week diet. For many years it has been assumed that Type 2 diabetes is a life sentence. It’s chronic, it’s progressive, people need more and more tablets, and eventually they need insulin. It’s a downhill slope. However, we have been able to show that it is in fact reversible.
“We have been able to put diabetes into reverse by a very low-calorie diet over a short period of time.
“What is really important and very new is the changes in the body that go along with this. Specifically, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have gone to sleep in Type 2 diabetes, they are not really doing very much.
“As the level of fat in the pancreas has reduced, we have seen these insulin-producing cells come com- pletely back to normal, and that is truly remarkable.”
He added: “This represents a radical change in our understanding of the condition. Insulin cells, if they are exposed to fat, don’t work. If they are protected from the fat they perform normally. It is quite possible that we may be able to devise medicines that block the effect of fat and allow normal function.”
He warned patients, however, not to try the new wonder cure without close medical supervision.
Patients in the clinical trial had their food intake cut to just 600 calories a day for two months.
Professor Taylor said: “People ought to think about cutting down what they eat by perhaps a half. On average, someone with a Body Mass Index of 30 will get diabetes. If they got down to a BMI of 19-25, which is the healthy range, it would dramatically improve or even reverse their diabetes.
“A diet of 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day would achieve weight loss in most people.”
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, also urged caution. “We welcome the results of this research because it shows that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, on a par with successful surgery without the side-effects,” he said.
“However, this diet is not an easy fix and Diabetes UK strongly recommends that such a drastic diet should only be undertaken under medical supervision.”
Type 2 diabetes, which can cause strokes, heart attacks and blindness, normally develops during middle age as a result of obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle. The Type 1 version is genetic.
In the trial, 11 patients ate a “meal-replacement” milkshake of 150 calories three times a day.
This was supplemented with three portions of non-starchy vegetables including cabbage, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.
After just one week, their pre-breakfast blood sugar levels had returned to normal and an MRI scan revealed that the fat levels in the pancreas were also normal, down from around eight per cent to six per cent.
The pancreas also regained the normal ability to make insulin and as a result, blood sugar levels after meals steadily improved.
The volunteers returned to eating normally but received advice on portion size and healthy eating. Three months later, seven remained free of diabetes.
The research, published in the journal Diabetologia, suggests a dramatic drop in calories has a direct effect on reducing fat accumulated in the pancreas, which in turn prompts insulin cells to “wake up”.
The findings are consistent with the belief that a lack of insulin secretion, which is vital for blood sugar control, is due to accumulation of fat in the liver and pancreas.
It has long been known that people who restrict their calorie intake and remain slim live longer than those who eat freely.
A low-calorie diet is also thought to slash the risk of developing cancer, heart disease and stroke, while staving off age-related degeneration of the brain and nervous system.
I took 4 Dark Chocolate anti-oxidant medifast shakes plus one medifast soup.
This is a very low calorie, very low fat/carb diet.
I also ate pickles and ‘better than bullion’ for the diabetes correction/weight loss phase.
Now that I’m trying to maintain my weight, I’ve added 2 oz of cheese, a can of kippers or fry up 1/4 - 1/2 pound of Black Angus beef. (In reality, I eat all the fish and beef that i want, I just rarely want more than 1/2 pound of meat a day.) I can eat chicken, but it’s not appealing to me at the moment.
When I add the beef, fish and cheese, the diet goes from 500 calories a day to up to 1000 calories a day and is better for maintaining and not so good for weight-loss. I do lose with this, but much slower.
I lost 25 pounds in 2 months and have been maintaining my weight pretty well (I did lose another 5 pounds - for a total 30 pound loss, but I wasn’t trying) for the the last month. I eat this maintenance diet for 5 days a week, then eat whatever the hell I want for two. (This give me an opportunity to go out to dinner or to enjoy a pizza party with my kids)
I now have normal blood sugars and I’m finding that I’m not gaining as easily as I used to on my ‘pig-out’ days. (So much for the ‘starvation mode’ hypothesis) I’ve gone from a size 20 jean to a size 12 and now the 12’s are getting lose.
I’m still dealing with the long-term side effects of PCOS/pre-diabetes, but that’s because I drank the wrong medifast shakes for the first two months. (Soy compounds those problems. The anti-oxidant shakes are whey-based.) I just switched to the correct shakes 3 weeks ago and I’m beginning to see an improvement.
(If anyone is interested, I’ll get into the details of how soy can cause symptoms of PCOS to get worse in pre-menopausal women)
This diet is not dangerous. You’ve getting all of your minerals and vitamins and it’s a heck of a lot better than starvation or fasting. The shakes even have pro-biotics and fiber.
I keep seeing the ‘warnings’ not to eat a very low calorie diet without a drs supervision, but I can’t see how it can hurt someone to go without food (while taking supplements) for a couple of months. Our bodies are designed to manage famine conditions. Heck, the complete *lack* of famine conditions is what causes the disease state of Type 2 diabetes in the first place. (Eating 500 calories a day for longer than 2 months IS a problem. We *need* fat in our diets and the 4 shakes/1 soup regimen doesn’t have enough fat.)
I would be very interested in hearing more. What is PCOS?
Actually, the body can regenerate beta cells.
Autopsies of type ones have found a lot of dead beta cells well out-side of the Islet of Langerhans.
I wonder with T2 if the Beta cells actually die or if they just go into hibernation.
I know that hormone-producing cells can become 'exhausted' and be brought back with a rest. "Adrenal fatigue" is one such example.
Only if you're not eating protein. Heart damage with crash-dieting happens because the body catabolizes organ tissues in an effort to get protein. I am very sure that these supplement shakes are protein-based specifically to prevent this from happening.
Carbs create T2 diabetes. I never fail to be stunned when I realize that there are still people who don’t get this.
Both my cardiologist and primary have told me to lose 30 lbs. If I do, I “could” be off my medications (well...I’ll still need the thorazine ;0]). Milkshakes and salads... its worth a shot.
You asked for it! lol!
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PCOS is a syndrome of symptoms in women. It indicates a pre-diabetic state.
Here’s a good profile of the creation of T2 diabetes in women:
- The woman’s fat cells are less sensitive to insulin. this causes an increase of insulin production which, at this point, still manages to control blood sugar.
- The excess insulin causes a disruption of the hormones produced by the ovaries. Mainly, an increase in testosterone and FSH (Follicle-stimulating hormone: The hormone that stimulates an egg to mature on the ovary.) It causes a decrease in LH (Luteinizing Hormone: The hormone that actually causes the egg follicle to rupture and release the egg)
- the increase in FSH and the decrease in LH causes ovarian cysts and can cause a disruption of the menstrual cycle. This is a leading cause of infertility in women under 40 in this country.
- The increase of testosterone can cause: weight gain, acne, increase in belly fat, female-pattern baldness, facial/chest hair.
- Eventually, her fat cells are so insensitive, that no amount on insulin will get a response and she becomes a true diabetic.
(I can spot a woman with PCOS a mile away. Once a person is familiar with the symptoms, it’s obvious.)
Most women experience some or all of these things long before their T2 diabetes develops enough to actually give them true diabetes (which is defined as elevated blood glucose)
Syndrom -X or metabolic syndrome is now recognized as the classic pre-diabetic state. The symptoms aren’t quite as obvious in men because they’re used to having testosterone.
- increase in belly fat
- skin tags
- fatigue
- high blood pressure
- high triglycerides
- difficulty losing weight
- heart palpitations
- PCOS (in women)
- memory problems
- depression
- acne
Of course, a person can have all of these symptoms or just a few.
The cure?
A full year with almost NO sugar carbs. (Undigestable fiber is fine, of course)
When I was twenty-nine, I did the low-carb Atkins Induction diet for six full months at the suggestion of my dr when I was first diagnosed with PCOS. I had a complete reversal of all of my symptoms and did great - until I followed the suggestion of my new doctor to gradually increase my carbs until i was eating ‘normally’. (I still hate that man for that.)
After 4 years, I was right back where I started. I went back to the low carb diet, then got lazy and gradually went back to my old ways again.
Then I hit a wall.
Turned out that I had food intolerances and I was eating tons of the very foods that I couldn’t tolerate when I was eating low-carb.
I discovered MF after a full year of low-carbing without a positive result. (I lost 25 pounds in that year, but I never felt well - again, it was the food intolerances, not the diet itself)
And that was the ticket. I’m now eating MF shakes (just like taking my vitamins) and a meat-based diet. No more problems.
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Soy is NOT a good thing for a pre-menopausal woman, especially one with PCOS.
Soy has phyto-estrogens. These chemicals mimic estrogen in a big way.
But here’s the problem: Phyto-estrogens are not a perfect replacement for our own natural estrogen.
If you already have your own estrogen, the flood of soy phyto-estrogens will cause your body to shut down it’s natural estrogen production.
OK, now picture this:
You have a room with a thousand locks. All of the locks are slightly different, but your estrogen ‘key’ will unlock every one. Once estrogen does it’s job, that lock will behave a certain way and keep you a girl.
The SPE key comes in and replaces the estrogen key. It’s close enough to unlock 4/5 of the locks, but not precise enough to get all of them.
At first, things seem fine. There are thousands of locks and, at first glance, it looks like they’re all opening without a problem with the SPE key.
But after a few weeks or months, you start to notice that things aren’t exactly right. You’re PCOS symptoms are actually getting worse!
That’s because women have a natural amount of testosterone. If the lock isn’t opened with estrogen, testosterone will open it instead. And you will get symptoms of testosterone dominance which is what you had with PCOS. (For me and a few other women I’ve known, this soy-induced testosterone dominance was actually much worse and more dramatic than PCOS itself. With that, we actually had an increase in aggression and a sex-drive off the charts along with a LOT of hair-loss)
So why is it OK for menopausal women to use soy?
Because they have *very* little natural estrogen and NONE of their locks are opening. Adding the SPE can help them tremendously, even though it’s not perfect. It’s still better than nothing and it opens many more locks than the synthetic garbage.
**************
Hormones have a very delicate balance and they can be thrown off by many things. Be careful that when you fix one problem, you don’t create another.
Absolutely fascinating article.
I’ve worked with diabetic cats for some years now and often changing the diet can be directly attributed to ‘remission’ of diabetes.
We never say ‘cured’ as it can come back, but many felines who are treated properly with diet and insulin early on...do often present as cured. The longer they are diabetic and on insulin the less likely remission becomes.
Now, this article is potentially presenting a similar finding.
Read more here, and google it too. A poster above was laughing at this since he mistakenly thought that insulin resistance is not affected by diet or weight status, but for the great majority of T2DMs, it is the overweight/obesity that increases their requirements for insulin. Indeed, about 25% of T2DM patients get insulin by injection to override the resistance when the other drugs cease working well.
Not something to be undertaken without caution and monitoring, especially for older folks. I'm curious if moderate exercise might also help during.
You are right on. Giving up all dietary starches and sugars will cure diabetes (type2) without having to cut calories. The goal should not be to only stop the diabetes but also to live in ultimate health. And it’s far more pleasant for the patient not to be starving.
He must give up all foods made with grains, all beans, all sugared foods, all fake sugar. He can have 1-2 servings a day of low glycemic fruit, and one handful of nuts a day. The bulk of his diet should be meat from healthy animals (grass fed beef, pastured organic chickens), wild caught fish, organic full fat unsweetened dairy (yogurt and cheese), and all non starchy vegetables. Cook in good fats such as butter from healthy cows and coconut oil. Olive oil uncooked only- as in salads. It’s easy to eat this way. No counting calories. Just no more grains.
“I’ve gone from a size 20 jean to a size 12...”
I am extremely proud of you! That is a significant lower jean size. You have to feel fantastic! (both mentally and physically). I know losing weight can be very difficult especially if you are cooking for other people. You have to eat what you can have but still make good meals for others. Good job!!!
Exercise can’t hurt, but isn’t necessary.
I am physically incapable of exercising. I lost 25 pounds with a low-carb diet and another 30 pounds with the suppliment meals. I have a 100% reversal of my pre-diabetes and PCOS.
At 40, I look better and am healthier than I was at 30.
I tell people, don’t let the exercise thing discourage you. Move because it’s good for you and it will make you feel better, but you don’t have to do it to stop this horrible process.
Diet *is* necessary though.
Thanks mom!
I am proud! (big grin) I lost 27% of ME.
The weirdest part is that my perception is different in ways that I didn’t imagine. I don’t feel smaller. I feel *longer*. My chair feels bigger. I still keep giving my son my jeans when I’m folding laundry. (I’m used to the GIANT jeans being mine...)
I’m still not used to the image in the mirror. Every time I go into the bathroom I do a double-take.
It really is wonderful. :-)
...and raise LDL and Triglycerides.
My fasting blood sugar was approaching 100. My doc told me "Blood glucose is the rumble strip of life. You either wake up and manage it now or you will die young."
My fasting Bg was 145 and I’d go up to 190 after meals.
It’s now a fasting of 90-100 and 100-115 after meals.
I think I’ve finally learned that this is not a problem that I can make go away forever. I’m only going to stay well if I keep up the LC diet. I can’t get it under control, then eat whatever I want for months on end and expect to stay healthy.
It only took ten years to get past that denial.
You really should be proud! It takes a lot of work, sacrifice and commitment to lose that weight. It is constantly on your mind, too. I think that body image is that way for everyone who loses a good amount of weight. You are use to seeing yourself bigger and the “new” you is almost alien. For example, when you go clothes shopping.. do you reach for the bigger size first? You almost have to remind yourself that you are smaller. I think the hardest part is making yummies for the other family members and not eating them yourself. It takes a lot of will power to say “here is your lasagna, here is my salad with some boneless/skinless chicken breast”. You are an inspiration!!
As a bread-lover, your link concerns me. However, my bread is made fresh from wheat I grind myself, not the processed, storebought stuff.
Should I still be concerned about consuming so much of “the staff of life”?
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