A new study shows that starvation (eating 600 kcal/day) can cure type 2-diabetes, just like gastric bypass surgery.
Again, there is no need to explain the effect of the surgery with other speculative theories. The resulting starvation reverses diabetes. And the starvation isn’t even necessary to do that.
Guardian: Low-calorie diet offers hope of cure for type 2 diabetes
Unnecessary starvation
If a type 2 diabetic stops eating (carbs) the symptoms of diabetes starts to go away. But starvation or surgery are unnecessarily painful ways to do it.
Luckily diabetics can eat real food to satiety, as long as they avoid sugar and starch. The food that quickly turns into simple sugars in the gut. Cutting away their stomach or starving themselves is not necessary.
All they need is good food.
More
Across the river for water: Surgery for diabetes
PS
A Gastric Bypass operation protects from eating too much carbohydrates in two ways. Number one: you can only eat miniature portions of anything. Number two: the smaller amounts of starch you eat is not digestedd as easily as the duodenum with the starch-digesting enzyme amylase is diverted from direct contact with the food.
Now, all of that said, my lovely sister would disagree adamantly with most of what I have written. My brother, sister, and I all went low-carb 11 years ago. My sister is the only one of us who had received the dreaded diagnosis of "Type II Diabetes,' which she still fully accepts as a disease for which is being seen regularly, with blood tests and medications. For whatever reason that I cannot fathom, the low-carb diet has not controlled her blood sugar. Although she is not grossly obese, in spite of the diet and exercise, she still carries alot of abdominal fat and I would expect her waist size would put her in the category of obese. She tried going off Januvia for 3 months and her A1C was 12! She has high fasting blood sugars, usually around 150, although if has so much as a cold it can be above 200. It does drop during the day, and she says it doesn't really matter what she eats.
This is a conundrum and is really messing with my belief that "Type II" is not a disease and is an easily managed symptom! Of course, my real concern is for my sister. She has good cholesterol readings and doesn't seem to be having any of the other complications associated with the "disease," but I'm concerned that at age 60, if this isn't resolved, she may begin to have other problems.
I'm always open to suggestions from forum readers about this dilemma.
She is going to see Dr. Mary Vernon. I'm hoping that Dr. Vernon can figure out why she hasn't responded to the low-carb diet.
One has no symptoms anymore after being 100% compliant with my recommendations - no starches, moderate saturated fat, high monosaturated fats, high quality protein. It took three months for his turn around. The other is 80 and is so
bound to the American culture of eating grains, he is struggling with it.
When he is compliant, he is great. He and his wife just have a hard time with the concept of lunch without a sandwich, breakfast without bread, cereal, or oatmeal, dinner without bread, corn, rice, and so on.
The 35 yr old brother of a friend no longer has it due to the moderate to high fat / high protein way of eating. No starches, no grains, only true, green leafy vegetables, and the high fiber part of the diet is always eaten first. That means start with a salad with high fat dressing, no croutons, no fruit - you get the picture. It works. Those who have poor results may need to look more carefully at what they eat. You can innocently make a lot of mistakes, particularly if you purchase any sort of pre-packaged food, or eat at restaurants often.
Unfortunately, we will never really know the scale of the damage being done by the promotion of diets low in fat and cholesterol and high in carbs, grains, sugar and vegetable oils, to say nothing of statin usage. The number of people who have had their lives ruined or shortened by bad diet/health information must be staggering. I'm glad that there are those who are trying to make a dent in it.
As for the article in the Guardian--such rubbish! It's not even a good study, with only 11 subjects. And I certainly the effects won't be long lasting as no one can stay on such a starvation diet for long. One can only hope they figure out or learn the truth that you all know! Keep spreading the word, Doc. Thank you.
Per, so true!LOL And Milton, well said!
I've only been eating a LCHF diet for 11 days. Several months before this I stopped taking my Metformin to control my sugars. The reason: I had been eating the diet that my doctor had suggested, that I had read up on while searching online: Complex carbs, whole grains, no sugar, portion control and exercise to lose weight etc. The drugs only kept my levels between 200-30 fasting or not, and never consistent. I was still ‘out of control’ even when doing everything I had been told to do by ‘experts’. My doctor’s only suggestion was to up my dosages. I said no way, there has to be something else because nothing is getting better even when I follow your rules. He didn't appreciate my opinion and told me I would get sicker and die faster if I didn't accept a new prescription. On drugs and a 'diabetic diet' I had trouble sleeping, I was tired all day, and I lost very little weight even with increased exercise. I was irritable and depressed, my work performance was declining since I couldn't keep up because I was so tired and my family was worried sick about me. When I stopped the drugs I started taking vitamins. I followed a self made regimen from research that I did (layman’s amateur research) and as far as energy and mood I actually felt better within 2 days of starting, but my sugars were staying at 250-300 all the time. I stumbled across an Edutainment Documentary ‘Fat Head’ and was truly shocked by the evidence that it provided for a LCHF diet. It made complete sense to me and so like I said, 11 days ago I started eating ‘right’. I found The Diet Doctor through the ‘Fat Head’ website and here I am. My sugars haven’t come down to where they should be, but it’s only been 11 days. However, I feel great! I have more energy, my mood is significantly improved and although my sugar levels are high (and coming down daily) all of the symptoms I had been experiencing are gone. Of course I am not a medical professional, but like has been said above; your sister may be eating hidden sugars. Whole milk and cream are great, but high in lactose (sugar) for someone trying to come down. Fruits and veggies are great, but until sugars are in control and the body is working properly again, it may be a good idea to go ‘no carb’ until progress is made with glucose control. I don’t know if she takes vitamins or supplements, but it could also be of great worth to investigate high dosage vitamin therapy. But I’m not an orthomolecular (natural) physician or a nutritionist, just a new convert to the right way of thinking and I am passionately involved. God bless, and hopefully your sister will improve.
Peggy: Is your sister getting enough choline in her diet? There seems to be some pretty good evidence that choline-deprived people are more likely to have type 2 diabetes and heart disease because they tend to have fatty liver disease which is associated with both conditions. And you can have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease without having elevated liver enzymes--in fact, researchers estimate that most people with NAFLD have normal enzymes.
The two best dietary sources of choline (the supplements are not universally considered safe) are beef liver and egg yolk. Of course, we are now discouraged by "conventional wisdom" from eating either food to any great degree.
Dietary requirement for adults is somewhere between 400-500mg of choline daily. You can probably achieve that eating a few ounces of liver two or three times a week, and if you don't like liver, increase egg consumption. Another thing you can do is increase betaine consumption as well--if I'm not mistaken, from what I've read, betaine has a choline-sparing effect. Spinach is one good source of that nutrient. If you google either one you'll find all sorts of info.
If her liver enzymes are normal, NAFLD is diagnosable by MRI. If she's got central obesity she should probably ask her doctor to check. Good luck.
P.S. Yes, she should still eat low-carb, and particularly avoid fructose, which aggravates NAFLD, especially if she's not eating enough choline.
It is frequently reported (and is reported in the comments above) that certain individuals apparently do not respond to low carb diets. An argument can be made that they are 'cheating' and consuming carbs, or perhaps more likely their body takes longer to normalize than is typical. In cases such as this, modulating the timing of food intake could be added to the low carb therapy, starting with intermittent fasting (e.g. 19 to 24 hour fasts).
If this is not immediately successful, longer term fasts of 3 - 7 days might accelerate the healing process. Once complete, the fast could be broken and the low carb therapy resumed.
I will point out that individuals have been on intermittent fasting protocols for years and have reported that this eating style is easy to maintain. Therefore, it is clear that this eating style can be permanently adopted if necessary.
I was kept on a heart rate monitor and small doses of insulin and beta blockers were prescribed while doctors conducted a number of tests on my heart. No major abnormalities were found. I felt like I was on a conveyor belt to hell.
There were a steady stream of dieticians, diabetes advisors and specialists there to console and reinforce my diagnosis of a chronic disease, all in that nagging and patronizing tone dripping with sincerity and condolences.
Instinctively, I basically stopped eating, other than for perhaps a small container of vegetable soup or a single slice of wholemeal bread and some vegetables. After a week in hospital I was discharged, having lost almost 5 kilograms in a short time.
I found the University of UK article and additionally read carefully the scientific paper which was downloadable in PDF form. I studied as much about diabetes Type 2 as possible. My primary interest is not really in "managing" my condition, but in reversing it. I immediately began the same program, even imitating the type of diet shake used in the Newcastle University Study. (Optifast)
At the same time, I contacted the Diabetes authorities to see if a similar trial was being conducted in Australia. I was emailed the following day by a researcher from Sydney Uni whose first sentence moved to dismiss and minimize the UK research. She then offered to include me in a "drug trial" being conducted by the University. I replied that I wasn't very enthusiastic, but attached the PDF file of the Uni Newcastle research, which is a scholarly and well researched piece. I have had no reply in return.
The idea that a VLCD might reverse Type 2 Diabetes would seem to be bad for business if you are a large pharmaceutical company or a cog in the wheel of the health industry.
Over the last week my blood sugars have returned to a level where my fasting sugar is 4.6 and post meal is less than 6, which is completely normal. The diet is indeed harsh. I'm taking several weeks off work, which I think is a worthwhile investment in my long term health. I'm trying to rest and keep my environment as stress free as possible.
My program is to swim about a kilometre a day, at a gentle pace. I have a rowing machine and take a morning walk. I take an Optifast diet shake at around 6-7 am, then another at 12. Around 3pm I have a bowl of non starchy vegetables like asparagus, capsicum, baby spinach, tomato, celery, avocado with a garnish of a teaspoon of organic flaxseed oil. I add a sprinkle of black chia seeds.
I've added a single high grade multivitamin tablet and a Bilberry tablet to my morning shake. My heart beat has been fully normalized since discharge from the hospital, however one day I took 2 x 500mg Ginseng tablets which gave me additional energy but seemed to cause a rapid heart rate that evening. I immediately stopped taking Ginseng.
Apart from the total normalization of my blood glucose without medication, I've noticed that my previously blurry distance vision has become completely sharp and in focus. Unfortunately, I seem to have to use reading glasses all the time, which was not the case before.
This type of diet, if initiated on a large scale, would probably require additional support from a government agency. Not only because it makes regular work difficult, but personal intervention would make it less austere for participants.
My overwhelming instinct, as supported by the results of the UK trial and now my own experiences, are that Type 2 Diabetes is eminently reversible.
The UK research with the optifast shakes, at 600kcal per day was technically not ONLY a starvation diet, but also a low-carb diet. Looking at the macronutrient profile of those shakes the participants were having an intake of < 60g per carbohydrate daily.
Most of us know, and any diabetic that's tried low-carb can confirm, that < 60g of carb a day seems to be the place where we see real reversal of blood glucose issues for most people.
Regarding the Esselstyn vegan diet - The thing about any vegan diet is it also eliminates the refined/processed carbs/sugars that are now being scientifically linked to our problems with cholesterol and heart disease, as well as blood glucose issues.
Ultimately, low-carb has for over 100 years shown to be the optimum diet for those of us with diabetes.
As a Type 2 diabetic myself I investigated and tried almost everything. Against the advice of my doctor and my dietician I adopted LCHF, but made sure to incorporate more non-starchy vegetables than I ever used to eat on my old diet. (I never did like veggies much, I must admit, except potatoes and corn...)
With LCHF I also lost weight, which really accelerated as I increased vigorous exercise as well. As it is now, I've lost almost 100lbs over the past year. My lipid profile is vastly improved.
As for my blood glucose: HbA1c of 12.1% at diagnosis - 6.0% after 6 months and 5.4% after one year. Fasting blood glucose levels were 14.8mmol/L (267mg/dl) at diagnosis, and is now normally under 5.0 (90) unless I'm sick - when it can be as high as 6.0 (108). The only diabetic medication I continue to take is good old Metformin - and now that I'm in the 5% A1c range I'm thinking of going off that.
Additional work also shows using MRI tools to analyze skeletal muscle cells also shows that as muscle cells get saturated, they turn off their response to insulin to stop further transfer of glucose to those cells.
Attempting to stuff more glucose in using insulin, oral drugs and actos is destroying a body already loaded.
Taylor's study has caused them to talk about Type 2 diabetes as a energy balance problem in body. Chronically overload the body cells with more glucose then they can burn results in cells being saturated with glucose.
Issue is to ensure that energy consumption, plus liver leakage throwback need to be balanced out by process and energy burn - hearty exercise. Failure to do so results in glucose backing up in system.
The present band of good folks standing in the wrong dead end tunnel with lights turned off are all locked on target of insulin efficiency and just body can keep stuffing more glucose.
The fact is that insulin resistance from glucose saturation in skeletal muscles being re-inforced by energy imbalance in body is rotting folks out.
Taylors crowd identified and experiment whereby clamping back on the glucose load dramatically helps get the muscle saturation pulled back and off as well as rectifying pancreas operation.
The human body regulates blood glucose by shifting it to the skeletal muscle stores using insulin command. That only works when there is always room in muscles to store morer glucose. As those muscles glucose storage are one way in, hearty exercise is mandatory to burning that off on a daily basis.
As long as these finite skeletal muscle cells not saturated, ones blood glucose usually gets well regulated.
The other factor not really discussed is the nature of the hunter gatherer digestion/gene system that was optimized against starvation years ago and grabs every calorie/glucose it can find in the ingested food and dumps it into our blood system. Now the human is forced to manually watch energy balance and prevent against glucose saturation in this modern era of high grade 24/7 availability of food.
Had the hunter gaterer system been designed to bypass excess calories when all the skeletal muscles/liver are topped off, this probably would not be an issue.
Coupled with all our capability to generate high grade food and snacks, sugars from grains, rice and corn at huge volumes to stave off world wide staravation, we have also implemented the most incredible low exercise culture ever with the cars, computers, lap tops, video games, wide screen tv - all couch potato tools and entertainment.
Then we wonder why type 2 is exploding out of control world wide while organizations of the past keep filling up the learning space with all sorts of unhelpful claptrap.
This is confirmed by my doctor.
My blood sugar is now reduced to 5.4 (above 6.1 is insulin insensitive = diabetes2)
How did I do it.
1. Stop eating all foods with hydrogenated fat (also known as trans fats). It is man-made.
2. Get your fat from a fist of walnuts per day.
3. Eat the walnuts for 7 months to replace the man-made fat in your cell walls with natural fat.
Reason:-
Hydrogenated fat is modified fat which has an extra hydrogen atom added to it, to prolong food shelf life.
However, you insulin expects “natural fat” around every cell in your body for the past 4M years – evolution!
So Insulin is “confused” by the new molecular structure of the fat membrane around you cells.
By replacing the “man-made” fat by natural fat (from walnuts) over 7 months you insulin works as intended , opens the cell wall and lets the sugar in to be consumed as energy. Done.
New York state will probably ban all food with hydrogenated fat this year 2012. (They were first to ban smoking!)
Caution: Manufacturers have negotiated agreement with the food authorities to NOT show hydrogenated fat on packaging if it is less than 0.05%. So beware and dont eat any food that has long shelf life (snacks, cookies, etc) including the oil used for fries in your local fast food outlet.
For how insulin works see http://www.khanacademy.org/science/healthcare-and-medicine/v/glucose-...
I am an engineer, not a medical person, so I bring a different discipline and training to problem solving.
There is a difference in low carbohydrate diets. I know I have the same diagnosis as your sister. I know this is 1 year later but this is not only for you (if you ever read the post) it’s for all those who read this post in addition to yourself who are having the same issues. I respond well to low carbohydrate diets but there is a difference in my diet and most other type II diabetics.
1) My diet is low carbohydrate but its also limited to those foods defined in Leviticus 11, I don’t eat meat or fish which is outside the scope of biblical definition (no Pork, no shell fish etc…)
2) The second half of eating right as a diabetic is understanding your daily routine and sticking with it. Pick the peak 10 hours of your day time for consumption of any foods which might contain carbohydrates, even in small amounts. During the last 2 hours of the 10 hour period you should start to ramp down off any carbohydrate. Within 4 hours of the end of that period, you should not intake any carbohydrates at all and you should stop eating any food.
I would be willing to bet your sister eats low carbohydrate meals but places them in a traditional fashion (breakfast, Lunch and Dinner). Diabetics need to consume all their daily carbohydrates by lunch and not consume any more, or extremely limit the supply, until the next day. This gives your body the chance to ramp down at the end of the day when you are likely to be the most inactive and it’s the reason for her high fasting blood glucose counts. So far this is working for me and I have gone backward on my metformin intake. I was at 2500mg metformin per day and facing the shots but decided to get a handle on things myself. Now I take 500mg metformin per day and my glucose readings are much more stable. The goal is to get control of my intake of carbohydrates to the point that I no longer take Metformin. When I started my readings were nearly 500 and I was going blind.
High protein intake gonna make glucose of the excesses.. and thats not so good for a diabetic, and its not that good for fat oxidation eigther.
And in the morning you got the Dawn phenomenon, that rises your blood sugar, its a part of cirkadian cycle and not that much to do about.. others then take a walk.
Try to read this book.. by another diabetic type 2!
"Diabetes, No Thanks!"
http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-No-Thanks-Scandinavian-Diet/dp/1908018...
PLACE 16 BAY LEAVES IN A STAINLESS STEEL PAN AND 8 CUPS OF WATER. BRING TO A BOIL AND LET IT STEEP FOR HOURS. THEN PLACE IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR A MAREVELOUS REFRESHING DRINK. HAVE IT BEFORE EAT BREAKFAST AND BEFORE DINNER. YOUR BLOOD SUGAR WILL NORMALIZE AFTER 60 DAYS. BE SURE TO TAKE A 15 DAY BREAK FROM THE TEA AFTER SOME SAY 30 DAYS SOME SAY 60 DAYS.
GROW YOUR OWN LEAVES FROM THE CALIFORNIA BAY LEAF TREE.
GROW YOUR OWN FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. DO NOT PUT ROUNDUP ON ANYTHING. GO TO http://search.mercola.com
IN THE SEARCH BLOCK TYPE IN: ROUNDUP HERBICIDE
CLICK ON THE ARTICLE ENTITLED: "THE HORRIFIC TRUTH ABOUT MONSANTO'S ROUNDUP HERBICIDE"
THIS VIDEO WILL COME UP. PLEASE, WATCH IT. IT IS TRULY SHOCKING!
"Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide May Be Most Important Factor in Development of Autism and Other Chronic Disease"
THANKS!
INDEED IT MAY BE THE ROUND UP THAT IS CAUSING THE RISE IN DIABETES.
You hit a point which relates to Thomas Smith's article healingmatters.com.
He also states that it is the consumption of hydrogenated fats that is to blame.
Could you extrapolate on the method you took to cure your diabetes?
Can you now eat starchy foods without raising blood sugar levels?
I think it is very important as this seems to go to the root of the problem.
Thanks in advance
Ehsan
The worse your insulin resistance is, due to all the excess intracellular FAT and the mitochondrial downregulation, the worse and more out of control your blood glucose will be because your liver is still making glucose and sending it to your already high sugared bloodstream via gluconeogenesis, which is normally inhibited by insulin.
Well controlled insulin (in insulin SENSITIVE people with normal mitochondrial function) prevents then slows gluconeogenesis from occurring in the postprandial 4 hours-ish after you eat, allowing your blood sugar to remain normal instead of elevated.
Until your cells are insulin sensitive again (excess fat is gone and mitochondria are back to functioning and propagating properly), you will have problems.
Fasting, i.e. "starvation" in order to burn up your excess intracellular fat will be a rapid, but not particularly healthy way to go about reversing your insulin resistance.
A better, healthier way would be to fast intermittently, even randomly, for 16 to 20 straight hours of your day, making sure to get your electrolytes during the fasted hours, staying hydrated, etc. and then to eat a slight-to-medium hypocaloric low carb meal or two during a short 4 to 8 hour feeding window.
This upregulates insulin sensitivity (and energy to move via adrenaline) along with a host of other benefits, and mimics what we as humans were up against when we lived before the advent of agriculture and 'civilization' (food scarcity, traveling to find food, etc.).
Eating and fasting this way will burn fat, increase insulin sensitivity, and give your body the platform to return to normal mitochondrial function which will ERADICATE "Type 2 Diabetes".
Basically, you must become a lean, mean human again, eating (and moving) in the way humans survived before agriculture, food abundance, and cushy furniture started making fat pharaohs and kings, and now fat laypeople, so these "diseases" CAN'T reoccur.
If you are obese, the time to fast and reduce your carb intake is NOW. When you start getting more energy because you haven't had a meal for hours then fidget, walk, hop, jog, or DANCE! Whatever you CAN do, DO IT. This is the body's signal for you to go hunt for food. This doesn't mean that you EAT... au contraire! You must behave as if you cannot find food until your 16 to 20 hour fast is over before you eat.
You CAN beat your bad habits. You CAN become a normal functioning HEALTHY human again. DO IT!
Can I print this on my blog?
Tanna
SHORTENING OF ANY KIND MUST BE ELIMINATED. NO MARGARINE. NO TRANS FAT. NO PARTIALLY HYDROLYZED OILS OF ANY KIND. THESE GET INTO THE CELL MEMBRANE AND MAKE IT STIFF SO THE INSULIN CANNOT ENTER THE CELL. THUS RAISING BOTH THE BLOOD SUGAR AND INSULIN LEVELS AS WELL.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS MUST BE ELIMINATED AS WELL.
By Jason Fung!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcLoaVNQ3rc
By Dr Troy Stapleton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsSVosmtUc
Know how to reverse if even possible because I am already thin ,can I use the LCHF
Diet?please help,I am not taking any med at this point cuz I have been
Recently diagnose as prediabetic,if anyone in the same condition please help
I was lean also with a Hba1c of 5.9 a few years ago when I diagnosed myself as pre-diabetic.I have always been an active person.
I reduced my starch/sugar intake and things improved after that.
Now I eat more dense foods, more nutritious foods,more quantities also and feel much more healthier. I eat more eggs/protein/nuts/non-starch vegs. For breakfasts I have more protein/fats, other meals more veggies ( i have @70-80% vegs per meal)Now I am even thinner but healthier.
Don't despair.I think by diagnosing earlier you have a head start to nip it in the bud.
regards
Sandy
Up the fat.. preferably the real unprocessed fat.. like butter or lard.
Keep the meat/fish for your proetein demand.. make be fatty meat/fish if yo can!
Its easy for us in Europe and North amerika.. its more dificult for those in poorer countrys.
Heres an SA site!
http://realmealrevolution.com/real-food-lists#green
Heres another way to put it.. but I think its EU or USA?
Try to figure out the meaning of low Carb High Fat!
It means no sugar, very low starch!
http://www.nutritionequation.org/how-to/no-sugar-no-starch-diet-getti...
I have been on LCHF for a long time and I managed to control my diabetes without medication for more than 10 yrs. It was working for me even if I was respecting it 80% of the time.
Please be aware that LCHF is essential for sugar level control but it doesn't work alone. If it doesn't work for you, It may be more than eating hidden carbs. You need to make sure:
- you sleep enough (hormonal effects)
- you exercise
- you manage your stress level- high stress level leads to high sugar level
-take supplements: multivitamins, chromium, vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. There are other supplements out there on the market, but it is better to take dr. recommendation
My current situation: after more than 10 years, I got bored from the diet , and soon I graduated to Type II Diabetes. Tired of having to eat special meals all the time and bored I decided to control it with medication, and eat more "normal" the diet recommended by doctors with complex carbohydrates etc. The result? Disaster! I had to increase the amount of medication every 3 months while my blood sugar increased continuously. After 1 year of enjoying carbs but being unable to control my sugar level, when the doctor recommended adding even more medication, I refused it and decided that I have enough of "medical "advice. I went back to LC diet before it is too late. In one week of LCHF diet, my sugar level got down from 12-15 to 5-7ml. I will continue this time.
Thanks for telling us. I have removed that comment.
You can get off Met 500 if you are on a no- carb diet. I was on 2000 and my levels close to 10. I am off carbs since two weeks and off medication and my levels are near to 6. It was hard to say no to rice being an Asian, but enjoy more energy level than I had before.