At the base of type 2 diabetes there are poor eating habits and an unhealthy lifestyle, which first lead to hyperglycemia, and then further lead up to chronic disease for which insulin therapy is necessary.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH EXPLAINS HOW TO REVERSE DIABETES WITH DIET
A clinical study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (March 2019), examined how by changing the eating habits of patients with type 2 diabetes it is possible to reverse the disease. 300 patients were examined and followed for 2 years. These were overweight or obese subjects, with type 2 diabetes diagnosed for less than 6 years and not undergoing insulin therapy.
The study’s participants were divided into two groups. The first group received standard therapy, with insulin. The second group, on the other hand, did not receive drug therapy, but underwent nutritional changes. Specifi cally, for these diabetic patients, a low-calorie diet was provided, in which replacement meals were administered over 12-20 weeks. At the end of this first cycle of diet, in the following 2-8 weeks, the various foods were gradually reintroduced.
Clinical data for this group of patients undergoing calorie restriction showed a total remission of diabetes. Condition maintained in about 1 in 3 subjects, even in the two years following the end of the study. In practice, 11% of the individuals who had followed the low-calorie nutritional intervention maintained a reduction in body weight of at least 15 kg (30 lbs) and as many as 36% (more than 1 out of 3) benefited from a complete remission of diabetes, without having to take insulin therapy.
A further analysis of the data revealed that the percentage of remission of diabetic disease rose up to 64% in subjects who had maintained a decrease in body weight of at least 10 kg (20 lbs). This emphasizes how important it is to maintain a healthy weight to have lasting results.
THE SOLUTION TO CURE DIABETES IS FOR EVERYONE
This study highlights, once again, how important it is to follow a healthy and balanced diet, both for the prevention of diseases and for their treatment (with supplemental pharmacological therapies as needed). As far as type 2 diabetes is concerned, these are simple precautions to change your diet for the better. Easy to follow rules: reduce / eliminate simple sugars, favor the consumption of whole grains, respect the dose of proteins indicated for your daily intake, consume vegetables every day (limiting the high glycemic value). The best advice, for a diabetic person, is to be followed by an expert doctor or a nutritionist who can prepare a personalized diet for each individual case. Finally, exercise every day.
