A recent study suggests that people with diabetes who intermittently fast may no longer require medication.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 37 million Americans have diabetes, with 90–95 percent of cases being type 2.
There are medicines that work, like metformin (which goes under numerous brand names including Glucophage, Fortamet, Glumetza, and Riomet). It is also well recognised that maintaining control of diabetes requires both a good diet and regular exercise.
An intermittent fasting diet may now be able to treat type 2 diabetes without the use of medication, according to a recent study.
After an intermittent fasting diet intervention, patients’ diabetes completely disappeared, according to a recent study.
An HbA1c (average blood sugar) reading of less than 6.5% at least a year after ceasing diabetes medication is considered to be in complete remission.
The information was made public on December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism of the Endocrine Society.
Intermittent fasting diets have gained popularity recently as a reliable way to lose weight. These diets can also help reduce inflammation and promote a longer, healthier life, according to studies. You only eat when it is appropriate to practise intermittent fasting.
Your body can burn fat if you fast for a set period of time each day or consume only one meal on specific days of the week. According to research, intermittent fasting can reduce your chances of developing heart disease and diabetes.
“Type 2 diabetes need not be a chronic, lifelong condition. Patients can achieve diabetes remission by altering their eating and exercise routines, according to Dongbo Liu, Ph.D., of Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, China.
Our study demonstrates that Chinese Medical Nutrition Therapy (CMNT), an intermittent fasting method, can result in diabetic remission in persons with type 2 diabetes. These results may have a significant effect on the approximately 537 million adults worldwide who have the condition.
The researchers gave 36 diabetics a 3-month intermittent fasting diet intervention and discovered that over 90% of participants—including those who received insulin and blood sugar-lowering drugs—decreased their intake of diabetes medication following the fast.
Of those, 55% went into diabetes remission, stopped taking their diabetes medication, and kept it off for at least a year.
The study’s findings contradict the widely held belief that those with diabetes who have had their condition for a shorter amount of time can achieve remission (0-6 years). In actuality, 65 percent of research participants with diabetes for more than 6 years were able to achieve remission (6-11 years).
“Many people who are attempting to adequately control their diabetes face financial obstacles due to the expense of diabetes drugs. After intermittent fasting, persons with diabetes had medication expenditures drop by 77%, according to our study, Liu added.
The other authors of this study are Huige Shao and Bi Huang from Changsha Central Hospital in Changsha, China; Xiao Yang from Hunan Agricultural University, the State Key Laboratory of Subhealth Intervention Technology, and Changsha and Tourism College in Changsha, China; Jiali Zhou from Hunan Agricultural University and the Department of Shizi Mountain Primary Care in Changsha, China; and Xincong Kang from Hunan Agricultural University, the National Research Center of