Are you diabetic? You can reverse your condition with a low-calorie diet

Good news for diabetics. You can now reverse your condition if you follow a low-calorie diet, according to research. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Published: October 30, 2019 10:24 am

Control your diabetes with a low-calorie diet.

There is good news for people suffering from diabetes. Experts say that you can now reverse your condition by just losing weight. So, if you achieve the targeted weight loss, you can say goodbye to medications and painful insulin jabs.

A study at Newcastle University, UK, says that if people with type 2 diabetes go on a low-calorie diet, the condition may be reversible. According to researchers, “Excess calories leads to excess fat in the liver, Because of this, the liver responds poorly to insulin and produces too much glucose. Moreover, the excess fat in the liver is passed on to the pancreas. This causes the insulin-producing cells to fail. However, a loss of less than 1 gram of fat from the pancreas through diet can re-start the normal production of insulin, reversing type 2 diabetes. This reversal of diabetes remains possible for at least 10 years after the onset of the condition.”

Keep the weight off and keep diabetes at bay: Researchers

According to researchers, type 2 diabetes is caused by excess fat within both the liver and the pancreas. Because of this, the liver responds poorly to insulin. As insulin controls the normal process of making glucose, the liver then produces too much glucose. Simultaneously, excess fat in the liver increases the normal process of export of fat to all tissues. In the pancreas, this excess fat causes the insulin producing cells to fail. The study, called the Counterpoint Study, confirmed that if excess food intake was sharply decreased through a very low-calorie diet, all these abnormal factors would be reversed.

Researchers showed a significant fall in liver fat content. This resulted in normalisation of hepatic insulin sensitivity within 7 days of starting a very low-calorie diet in people with type 2 diabetes. Fasting plasma glucose became normal in 7 days. Over a period of 8 weeks, the raised pancreas fat content fell, and normal first-phase insulin secretion became re-established, with normal plasma glucose control.

Diabetes reversible for up to 10 years

Researchers say that people who have had diabetes for even 10 years or so may still be able to reverse their condition. All it needs is the removal of that tiny amount of fat in the pancreas. But this is not as easy as it sounds, cautions researchers. You will need to go through substantial weight loss before this fat is removed.

The Counterbalance Study showed that type 2 diabetes remains reversible for up to 10 years in most people. Researchers also say that normal metabolism persists long term for as long as the person doesn’t regain the lost weight. Researchers say that excess fat in the insulin producing cell causes loss of specialised function. The cells go into a survival mode, merely existing and not contributing to whole body wellbeing. Removal of the excess fat allows resumption of the specialised function of producing insulin.

Published : October 30, 2019 10:24 am

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