Virta Health raises $45 million in investment to expand low-carb treatment of type 2 diabetes

April 6 2018 by in Diabetes, Virta Health

Virta Health has just raised another $45 million in investment, after a highly successful one-year keto trial showing that type 2 diabetes can be reversed. The series B raise increases their total funding to more than $75 million.

This is taking the company another step closer to their ambitious mission: reversing type 2 diabetes in 100 million people by 2025. It also shows that some very smart people in Silicon Valley – the investors include Venrock, Obvious Ventures and Founders Fund – believe in the promise of a ketogenic diet to revolutionize the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Earlier

1-year results of the Virta Health keto study

Reversing diabetes with Virta on The Doctors

Virta

Type 2 diabetes

My low-carb story with Marc Gossange
03:01
After living somewhat of a high-carb life and then living in France for a few years enjoying croissants and freshly baked baguettes, Marc was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Why low-fat diets don't work — Dr. Jason Fung's diabetes course
09:16
Does a low-fat diet help with reversing type 2 diabetes? Or, could a low-carb, high-fat diet work better? Dr. Jason Fung looks at the evidence and gives us all the details.
The essential problem with type 2 diabetes
05:09
Dr. Fung's diabetes course part 2: What exactly is the essential problem of type 2 diabetes?
Living low carb with Chris Hannaway
08:19
What does living low carb look like? Chris Hannaway shares his success story, takes us for a spin in the gym and orders food at the local pub.
How to reverse type 2 diabetes
10:21
Dr. Fung's diabetes course part 1: How do you reverse your type 2 diabetes?
Weight loss and type 2 diabetes reversal on low carb – is it sustainable?
31:51
In this presentation, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt goes through the scientific and anecdotal evidence, and also what clinical experience tends to show, regarding the long-term effects of low carb.
Carb-Loaded
1:14:40
This may be the best (and funniest) low-carb movie ever. At least it's a strong contender.
How to prevent chronic disease – Dr. Trudi Deakin
16:22
In this interview, Kim Gajraj interviews Dr. Trudi Deakin to learn all about her and other health care professionals work at X-PERT Health, a registered charity in the UK.
My Big Fat Diet
42:31
What would happen if an entire town of First Nation people went back to eating the way they used to? A high-fat low-carb diet based on real food?
What's it like being a low-carb doctor on TV?
17:40
What’s it like working with patients and giving controversial low-carb advice in front of a TV audience?
How to formulate a low-carb keto diet
48:32
Low-carb pioneer Dr. Eric Westman talks about how to formulate an LCHF diet, low carb for different medical conditions and common pitfalls among others.
Insulin toxicity — Dr. Jason Fung's diabetes course
09:03
Dr. Fung looks at the evidence on what high levels of insulin can do to one’s health and what can be done to lower insulin naturally.
How to help patients reverse type 2 diabetes
27:43
How exactly do you as a doctor help patients reverse their type 2 diabetes?
"I have been following the wrong advice!"
16:39
How Antonio Martinez finally managed to reverse his type 2 diabetes.
"We are not designed to be chronically ill"
25:54
Diet & diabetes – how to normalize your blood sugar
16:26
Dr. Eenfeldt's get-started course part 3: How to improve type 2 diabetes dramatically using a simple lifestyle change.
LCHF and diabetes: science and clinical experience
45:59
What is the root of the problem in type 2 diabetes? And how can we treat it? Dr. Eric Westman at the Low Carb USA 2016.
"I knew nothing"
28:51
How come Professor Tim Noakes completely changed his view on what constitutes a healthy diet?
80 pounds lighter and no medications
09:12
Is it possible to reverse your diabetes with the help of a strict low-carb diet? Definitely, and Stephen Thompson did it.
Therapeutic fasting
46:09
What if there was a more effective treatment alternative for obesity and type 2 diabetes, that is both simple and free?
How to cure type 2 diabetes
24:25
In this interview Dr. Jay Wortman tells us how he cured his own type 2 diabetes and then did the same for many, many others.
The perfect treatment for diabetes and weight loss
45:20
Do doctors treat type 2 diabetes completely wrong today – in a way that actually makes the disease worse?
The problem with sugar
50:01
Is it fat or sugar that has triggered the unprecedented epidemics of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic disease? Taubes at Low Carb USA 2017.
Diet Doctor podcast #7 – Megan Ramos
54:01
In the seventh episode of Diet Doctor Podcast, Megan Ramos, co-director at IDM program, talks about intermittent fasting, diabetes and her work together with Dr. Jason Fung at the IDM clinic.

How to reverse type 2 diabetes

12 comments

1
Steve
April 6 2018
How can I invest too?
2
Cookie
April 6 2018
I'd like to invest too!
3
Kim
April 6 2018 5
I've lost 93 pounds following the low carb lifestyle in the last year. It definitely works.
4
Fox
April 6 2018
You don't "reverse" or "cure" diabetes...you can control it... I'm sure a low carb diet will yield huge benefits for those with type 2 diabetes...but resume a "normal" diet and their symptoms will most certainly return...because they have a n insulin resistance disease....

Reply: #10
5
Witch's falls
April 6 2018
Good luck getting people to stick to this. Won't happen.
6
Sprout
April 7 2018 8
Actually, it's quite easy to stick to, once you detox from the carbohydrate addiction we're all suffering from, at least in America. I've lost better than 50 lbs on a medically supervised very low carb diet, and I feel great. Fat is not the enemy, and the added, sometimes hidden sugars in processed foods are driving the obesity epidemic. Try it, before you scorn it.
7
Rob Jobe
April 7 2018 3
I’m sticking to it after being Type 2 for ten years never having AC1’s being below 10 with drugs and on the Canada Food Guide I’m now 5.7 average on Keto with no meds. Down 60 lbs too.
8
Christine Kemp
April 7 2018 1
Low carb diet does work if you give it a chance. It's easy. My a1c is 6.8 and never felt better.i not only do this for my diabetes but all so for my over all health.
9
Louise Scofield
April 7 2018 2
Yup, I've been low carb for 15 months. My A1C is 5 now, instead of 13.5
It is NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle.
10
Reply to comment #4 by Fox
Gentiann
April 9 2018 2
You just don't resume a "normal" diet. It's easy with keto because you don't have cravings anymore.
If the "normal" diet is what made you sick in the first place, what the point to resume it ?
11
LD
February 14
This "investment" is about as much of a slam dunk as I can imagine. I'd put my money into a venture like this, no hesitation. The future of medicine will either be like Virta or we will be bankrupt, sick and miserable. Modern medicine has bifurcated. Trauma medicine is fantastic, health care is an utter and total catastrophe. The thing that is going to tip the balance is medical imaging. When you can see what happens to your arteries on LCHF vs the "standard of care" there will be no more debate. I'm heading in for my 3rd CIMT soon. LCHF rocks.

I've been doing low carb for over a year now. I have absolutely no desire to go back to a "normal" diet --- EVER. There's nothing "normal" about eating stuff that makes your toes go numb and your retinas die and your willy go limp. If someone dumped you in a vat of acid would you really want to climb back in once your skin healed? We were born into a toxic food environment. The cure is to get yourself out and stay out.

When boomers find out how their food suppliers and government have totally screwed them look out, the backlash is going to be epic. This could well be the most invest able trend ever.
12
Carol
February 15
True. The mood is changing ..... from «why didn’t we know about this? » ...... to « the fact that this has been hidden from us is criminal negligence » I think our movement is moving from the back foot to the front foot...and we have a lot of ground to make up. Patients need to demand to know why even their Drs are being lied to.