Get rid of diabetes
Researchers from the University of Newcastle, working under the guidance of Professor Roy Taylor, have demonstrated that people who manage to lose weight and maintain body weight at the achieved level, get rid of the diagnosis of "type 2 diabetes mellitus". Moreover, it turned out that even patients who have lived with this diagnosis for 10 years can achieve this.
In an earlier paper, the results of which were published in 2011, the authors found that the manifestations of type 2 diabetes can be eliminated with a diet with a very low calorie content. This aroused interest from scientists from different countries, but since the study was conducted for only 8 weeks, the question of the long-term effects of this intervention remained open.
As part of a new study, 30 volunteers with type 2 diabetes followed a diet with a daily calorie content of only 600-700 calories for 8 weeks. In total, each of the participants drank 3 diet cocktails a day and ate 240 g of vegetables with a low starch content. After that, the participants gradually returned to eating normal food for two weeks, increasing its amount in accordance with carefully developed instructions. Over the next 6 months, they visited the doctor monthly and followed an individual program to maintain body weight. To maintain a constant weight, they had to eat about 30% less food than before the study began.
On average, during the study period, the body weight of each participant decreased by 14 kg and remained stable for the next 6 months.
Many of the participants had a history of diabetes lasting more than 8 years, the minimum "age" of the disease was 6 months, and the maximum was 23 years.
As a result, 12 participants diagnosed less than 10 years old got rid of the disease and by the end of the 6-month follow-up period still had no corresponding symptoms. Another cured participant was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus again after 6 months.
The authors note that despite the fact that after the end of the diet period, patients were still overweight or even obese, the result achieved was enough to remove fat from the pancreas and restore normal insulin production.
This confirms the theory of the "personal fat threshold" proposed by the authors, according to which if a person gains more weight than his body can bear, it triggers the development of diabetes mellitus. However, if he subsequently gets rid of excess fat, glucose metabolism returns to normal.
Professor Taylor notes that the body's ability to accumulate fat without metabolic disorders varies widely. Thus, 70% of people with severe forms of obesity do not develop diabetes mellitus.
Currently, the authors are already conducting a larger clinical trial involving 280 patients. This will allow you to assess how effective weight loss under the supervision of the attending family doctor and nurse will allow you to get rid of type 2 diabetes.
Article by Sarah Steven et al. published in the journal Diabetes Care: Very low calorie diet and 6 months of weight stability in Type 2 diabetes: Pathophysiological changes in responders and non-responders.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Newcastle University: Reverse your diabetes – and you can stay diabetes-free long-term.
23.03.2016