Intermittent fasting may help diabetes go into remission.Science and technology

In 1980, 4.7% of the world’s population suffered from type 2 diabetes. Obesity-related conditions and aging. This figure he reached 8.5% in 2014 and 9.3% in 2019. Mostly in low- and middle-income countries, the prevalence of the disease continues to increase.

Until very recently, it was thought that type 2 diabetes – This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer – starting a degenerative process that got worse all the time, eventually requiring insulin and other drugs to manage it.

2017, lancet medical journal DiRECT research publishedThe researchers noted that if significant weight loss could be achieved, it would be possible to put the disease into remission and end drug dependence. It also included a nutritionist and personal trainer who assisted them. Since this study was published, various techniques have been tested to help individuals lose weight.

of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism recently published a paper show how intermittent fasting It can improve the health of afflicted people, reduce the need for medication, and even eliminate type 2 diabetes altogether. The author, a researcher at Hunan Agricultural University, applied a special diet called “Chinese Medical Nutrition Therapy” to the participants. no consumption) followed by 10 days of subjects eating their normal meals at their normal times.

Of 36 volunteers with type 2 diabetes, about 90% (including those taking blood sugar-lowering medications) were able to reduce their medication consumption. Approximately 55% were cured of their illness and were able to stop using the drug completely.

The average weight loss in study participants was about 12 pounds, compared to 200 grams in the control group who ate normally. Dr. Dongbo Liu, one of the study’s authors, said, “Diabetes is not necessarily a lifelong disease. If patients change their diet and exercise habits to lose weight, they may go into remission.” I assure you.

But Dr. Cristóbal Morales, an endocrinologist at Spain’s University of Seville’s Vitas Hospital, warns that the study “used very few volunteers.” He also explains that Chinese diabetics are very different from Western European diabetics due to their lower body mass index (BMI). Still, he admits intermittent fasting could be another tool for shedding excess pounds. Intermittent fasting is appealing to many people…the important thing is to lose weight and keep it off. “

Morales says putting diabetes in remission is a recent idea, but now there’s hope of achieving it with a variety of weight loss methods. Guidelines recently published by the Canadian Diabetes Association Says “sustainable weight loss of approx.” [30 pounds] Associated with most likely remission of type 2 diabetes. That goal is viable for patients unless they suffer from mental illness, severe eating disorders, cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease.

As with many other diseases, even if you know the cure, it’s not always easy to implement the solution. After losing weight, he points out, “the most difficult and necessary thing is to maintain that weight loss for the long term.”

“It’s important to provide personalized treatment that is more useful for each patient. Fasting has been around for many years, but become fashionable at onceHelps patients avoid snacking and rest [the digestive system] Improves insulin sensitivity. But not all diabetics are the same,” she adds. “Some people are on heavy medications and have to constantly adjust their dosage. [as a result of the meds] It should be monitored as it can cause kidney problems. ”

Various forms of weight loss surgery also help patients lose weight. But these are high-risk, Dr. Azcárate said, to meet the criteria for such an operation, the patient must have a BMI greater than or equal to her 35. Such procedures are possible. This is only considered a viable option in very serious cases.

Proven in the DiRECT study, this method included diet, exercise, and very close professional follow-up, and achieved nearly 50% diabetes remission rates among participants. However, such programs require a lot of time and money. Therefore, professionals and patients of more modest means Recently Approved Obesity Drugs – such as semaglutide and tirzepatide – can help. These drugs mimic incretins, hormones our bodies produce when we eat, which can reduce appetite and increase resting energy expenditure. There is. Trial studies of the aforementioned drugs have shown that people who take them can lose 15-22.5% of their total body weight.

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