How Intermittent Fasting Can Help Reverse Diabetes Type 2
As per research in August 2021 in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research, it was found that Intermittent Fasting lowered insulin resistance in the patients suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. Another review of existing research published in February 2021 in the journal Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology included several studies that found that intermittent fasting reduced fasting glucose levels, weight, and post-meal blood sugar levels in people with type II diabetes.
Thus, it can be said that restricting calorie intake improves metabolic health, casting a direct impact in insulin resistance and reducing body weight. Intermittent Fasting decreases levels of leptin in the body. Also, the process of calorie limitation is easy to follow as compared to any other rigorous diet plan.
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What Is The Difference Between Reducing Calorie Diet Versus Intermittent Fasting
Cutting the calories or counting calories such as down to 1200 calories or 1500 calories versus the intermittent fasting can result in similar weight loss but there are actually major differences.
Studies show that actually if you are fasting 16 hours a day or more up to 20 hours two to three times a week your insulin resistance will dramatically improve and you may actually go into diabetes remission. Studies show that people who reduce their total can still lose weight but their insulin resistance and diabetes remission does not necessarily happen in all cases.
Bottom line, it has been proven that eating pretty much nothing just drinking non-caloric beverages during that 16 hours of period or 16-20 hours a day, if you can do that twice or three times a week you are going to have a major benefit.
I am not asking you to fast the entire week. You just need to do intermittent fasting 2-3 days out of seven days. You can pick your days on days youre not super busy or youre not super active when youre just chilling and relaxing. You need to make sure that, on those days, remember to put yourself a goal not to eat anything for 16 to 20 hours. You can trust me, youre going to see a dramatic improvement in your insulin resistance.
Which Fasting Plan Is Best
The term intermittent fasting does not refer to a single well-defined practice. Several different approaches fall under the intermittent fasting umbrella. The three most common and well-studied are known as time-restricted eating, alternate-day fasting, and the 5:2 diet.
The first of thesetime-restricted eatinginvolves squeezing all of your days calories into a single feeding window of six to eight hours. For example, someone on this diet may eat between noon and 6 p.m. each day, and avoid all caloric foods and drinks for the other 18 hours of the day. Meanwhile, someone on an alternate-day-fasting diet eats normally one day, but the next day consumes few or no calories. Finally, the 5:2 diet involves eating normally five days a week but fasting on the other two days.
There are many variations of each of these plans. At this point, its unclear which of these, if any, is optimal for people with Type 2 diabetes. I think time-restricted eating is probably the most common, followed by fasting two days a week, Horne says. But at the moment, I would say there is not one plan that stands out as a best option. The right plan, he adds, is the one a patient will stick with. Even if the more intense fasting programs turn out to be most beneficial, that doesnt really matter if people cant adhere to it.
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Mechanisms Of If For Treating T2d
To understand how intermittent fasting may reverse type 2 diabetes, Medical News Today spoke with Courtney Peterson, Ph.D., associate professor at the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Peterson was not involved in the present study but noted that intermittent fasting may reverse T2D by helping people lose weight.
What weve learned over the past decade is that if people lose weight very rapidly by eating the equivalent of about one meal per day about 45% of people in the early stages of type 2 diabetes are able to get off all their medications and reverse their diabetes. Losing weight rapidly rids the body of fat that accumulates in the liver, pancreas and in our muscles, and this helps our pancreas to produce more insulin- which lowers blood sugar and also helps the liver and muscle do they job of regulating our blood sugar.
Courtney Peterson, Ph.D., professor of nutrition sciences
Felicia Steger, Ph.D., assistant professor of endocrinology, diabetes, and clinical pharmacology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, not involved in the study, told MNT she agreed that weight loss is an important factor for diabetes remission.
She added, however, that fasting might also affect blood sugar control independently of weight loss.
Preliminary data suggest that intermittent fasting improves our pancreas responds to higher blood sugar by releasing insulin, Dr. Steger noted.
Intermittent Fasting In Type 2 Diabetes: From Fundamental Science To Clinical Applications
L. Chen, F.-Y. Tian, X.-H. Hu, J.-W. Wu, W.-D. Xu, Q. Huang
First School of Clinical Medicine, Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. [email protected]
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a huge challenge for global public health systems. Currently, healthcare policies advocate the prevention of the onset and progression of T2DM by improving individual lifestyles. The increasing benefits of intermittent fasting as a dietary intervention have been elucidated. However, the beneficial effects of IF in T2DM remain inconclusive. We demonstrated the physiological mechanisms underlying the positive effects of IF in T2DM. IF could trigger metabolic transformation to improve systemic metabolism and induce tissue-specific metabolic adaptations through alterations in the gut microbiota, adipose tissue remodeling, correction of circadian rhythm disturbances, and increased autophagy in peripheral tissues. The efficacy and safety of IF regimens in clinical applications carry a risk of hypoglycemia and require monitoring of blood glucose and timely adjustment of medications. However, there is limited evidence of a positive effect of IF in weight loss and improvement of glycemic variables. Overall, IF serves as a promising therapeutic target for T2DM and needs to be established by a large randomized controlled trial.
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Type Of Intermittent Fasting #: The : 2 Method
Features of this option include:
- The 5:2 diet indicates you eat normally five days of the week.
- Then, you restrict your calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories for two days out of the week.
- This is also sometimes called the Fast Diet.
- Women should eat 500 calories on fasting days, and men should eat 600.
In my opinion, this type of intermittent fasting gets complicated, so if youre not a fan of that, it might not be best for you. Not having to count calories is one of the advantages of fasting, and with the 5:2 model, you still have to do that.
Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Diabetics
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Reduced appetite
- Increased fat oxidation
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.
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Risks Of If For Diabetes
People with diabetes often take medications to lower their blood sugar. Doctors generally prescribe these medications in the context of a standard diet.
Intermittent fasting also lowers blood sugar. So when you combine IF with diabetes medications, you run the risk of pushing blood sugar too low.
This dangerous condition is the leading risk for people with diabetes practicing IF. The symptoms include fatigue, shakiness, sweating, irregular heartbeat, hunger, irritability, andin severe casesdeath.
Thats why its crucial to seek out medical guidance before fasting with diabetes. Your clinician will likely adjust the drug regimen to minimize hypoglycemia risk.
Furthermore, any individuals who are pregnant, breastfeeding, currently undergoing chemotherapy, or have a history of disordered eating should consult their physician before starting any intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating protocol.
Slows Aging And Extends Lifespan
Animal studies currently indicate that fasting can help extend lifespan and reduce signs of aging. For example, in a study of rats fasting every other day, there was a delayed rate of aging. The fasting rats lived 83% longer than the ones who didnt.
Regularly engaging in caloric restriction through fasting can reduce the risk of so many types of chronic disease associated with aging.
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The Beginners Guide To Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes
When it comes to fasting, people often mistake it as a weight-loss trend. Although viewed as a product of diet culture, fasting can offer excellent health benefits. So, what does fasting mean? It gets defined as the willing abstinence from food, drink, or both, for a while.
You mustve likely fasted before since blood tests, surgery, and other medical procedures are often required. But not all fasting are the same. There are multiple versions of fasting, and one of them is intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting or IF has been around for a long time. Some might call it as old as humankind. In previous years, IF has received criticism concerning its safety. However, intermittent fasting is now a means of controlling chronic illnesses, including diabetes.
A detailed study concludes that intermittent fasting induces weight loss and reduces insulin requirements for type 1 and 2 diabetes. However, it is only encouraged with proper medication adjustment and continuous glucose level monitoring. Since people with diabetes are not average healthy individuals, they should do a detailed background check before getting into an intermittent fasting plan.
/5should People Diagnosed With Diabetes Fast
Intermittent fasting is the current rage in the world of weight loss. People are adopting this modified version of the traditional fasting method to shed kilos and improve their health. The eating pattern that alternates between fasting and eating window is generally safe to practise for most. Only when it comes to people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, one cannot help but wonder how effective and safe this new eating habit is.
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How To Deal With The Side Effects Or Symptoms During Intermittent Fasting
When you fast for 16 hours, you are going to be irritable. You are going to feel weak. You are going to have a little bit of mental fog. The good news is that the symptoms will go away within the first 2 to 4 weeks of intermittent fasting practice. Similar symptoms are reaction antibody happens when you start exercising after a sedentary lifestyle. You start going out to the workouts and you to the gym and the next thing you feel like all of your muscles are failing. However, if you keep going to the gym, your body will learn to recover from the stress response and you will have stronger muscles and more endurance/fitness.
The process is not any different than going through alcohol withdrawal or a smoker stopping smoking. At first, you are not going to feel good because your body is not used to fast for a long time.
But once you go through the symptoms of intermittent fasting, youre going to be a new person in a few weeks. So, you have to be patient for the side effects to go away. In the meantime youre going to be irritable, you also have to control yourself since its your body youre going through this, not your spouse or your family. You dont have to put other people the same stress that youre going through.
It is not a bad idea for you to explain to people around what you are going through and how it is a temporary symptomatic process.
Can I Do Intermittent Fasting While On Metformin
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , intermittent fasting is safe if you take a diabetes medication like metformin. However, it depends on the length of time you intend to fast for that day.
For instance, those who fast for 16 hours and eat for the other 8 hours dont really need to stop metformin, as it rarely can cause hypoglycemia. The medicine should be in their system for those 6-8 hours while eating, preventing hyperglycemia.
On the other hand, you shouldn’t take metformin on the day of intermittent fasting if you intend to fast for the full 24 hours, as it can increase the risks of hypoglycemia.
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Can Intermittent Fasting Treat Diabetes
The evidence for IF treating type 2 diabetes is promising but preliminary. Lets review a few data points:
- A 2021 review looked at seven randomized controlled trials using IF to treat type 2 diabetes. Compared to a regular eating program, IF was associated with greater weight loss but reductions in blood sugar were not observed.
- A 2018 study found that 5:2 intermittent fasting led to significant blood sugar reductions in people with type 2 diabetes.
- A 2018 review of four studies found that IF was effective for weight loss irrespective of BMI.
- Dr. Jason Fung has successfully treated diabetes with therapeutic fasting in his Toronto clinic.
Fasting may also help with other forms of diabetes:
- Researchers believe that time-restricted feeding may effectively prevent type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, but more research is needed.
- Intermittent fasting led to significant weight loss in women with a history of gestational diabetes.
- People with type 1 diabetes fasted safely during Ramadan with proper glucose monitoring.
Lets talk more about IF risks now.
What Is An Intermittent Fasting Diet
The intermittent fasting diet has become popular as an effective weight loss method. Intermittent fasting is a diet that allows you to eat during a specific window of time, this is because fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple of days a week can help your body burn fat. Two popular versions are the 16:8 and 5:2 diets. The 16:8 diet focuses on fasting for 16 hours per day and eating within an eight-hour window, whereas, the 5:2 diet allows dieters to eat normally five days a week and then only eat one large meal on two of the other days.
Research has previously shown the positive effects of the intermittent fasting diet on diabetes and heart disease.
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Intermittent Fasting And Type 1 Diabetes
Keep in mind that the benefits of IF discussed above apply mainly to type 2 diabetes. The safety of IF diets in people with type 1 diabetes hasnt been well established, and fasting with type 1 diabetes can lead to both hypoglycemia and. If you have type 1 diabetes and are interested in trying IF for weight loss or another reason, talk with your health care provider first as you will need to adjust your insulin and may need to take additional precautions, if not avoid IF altogether.
The bottom line: For most people, practicing IF for short durations is a safe way to improve metabolic health. As with any intervention, its important to start slowly with fasting and be mindful of your bodys response. The most important thing is to understand how your body reacts to different eating schedules and to work toward gradually reversing the underlying mechanisms that contribute to type 2 diabetes.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work With Type 2 Diabetes
According to an academic review,² 24-hour fasting regimens significantly reduced weight and blood glucose in people with diabetes. These diets also led to some patients stopping insulin therapy as their blood sugar was under control.
Researchers noted that people might struggle with fasting for 24 hours or more. Therefore, they may be better off starting with shorter intervals and time-restricted feeding. They recommended this IF prescription:
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In week one, fast for 12 hours and feed for 12 hours. Stick with this fasting period until youre comfortable moving to the next phase. The researchers recommend monitoring and logging your daily blood glucose levels so you can send them to your doctor weekly.
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Typically starting in week five, you fast for 16 hours and feed for eight hours. The next phase is to increase your fasting period by four hours when youre ready. The report says that you should continue monitoring and logging blood sugar levels. You should also consult a registered dietician to discuss food intake and ensure youre dieting responsibly.
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Typically starting in week seven, you fast for 18-20 hours and feed for 4-6 hours. Finally, when youre ready to continue to the next step of the IF process, it is time to add 2-4 more hours to your fasting routine. At this time, the report notes that your doctor should adjust your diabetes medication dosages based on your logged blood sugar readings.
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What About An Extended Fast
Another available option is to do extended fasts, perhaps once every few months. An extended fast might be 36-72 hours for most people. You can drink water and zero-calorie beverages during this time, but nothing besides that. Longer fasts done infrequently may be the best way to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
A bigger thing to think about is what will allow you to keep up the habit. If a longer fast just isnt attainable for you, then dont do it. Listen to your body if you do decide to try intermittent fasting.
You might also find that after a period of doing the same type of fast repeatedly, your results plateau. If that happens, you can switch it up.