Strict Low-Calorie Diet “Defeats Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes can be reversed by nothing more than a severe low-calorie diet, a study has found

Type 2 diabetes which affects millions of people worldwide, is caused by high levels of glucose in the blood and is linked to overeating and obesity.

Researchers say the “remarkable” discovery proves that a simple eight-week diet can do away with the need for years of expensive medication.

Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who led the study, said: “For many years, it has been assumed that type 2 diabetes is a life sentence.

“It’s chronic, it’s progressive, people need more and more tablets, and eventually they need insulin. It’s a downhill slope.
“However, we have been able to show that it is in fact reversible.”

In the study, funded by the charity Diabetes UK, doctors selected 11 type 2 diabetics and used a powerful scanner to monitor fat in the pancreas which regulates blood sugar levels.

The patients were then put on a strict diet of just 600 calories a day consisting of slimming shakes, non-starchy vegetables, tea and zero-calorie drinks.

After just one week, early morning blood sugar levels had returned to normal among the group.

After two months the fat in the pancreas of each patient had returned to normal levels and the pancreas was making insulin normally.
Three months later, after going back to normal eating with advice on portion control and healthy foods, seven people remained free of diabetes.
“The insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have gone to sleep in type 2 diabetes – they are not really doing very much,” explained Professor Taylor.

“As the level of fat in the pancreas has reduced, we have seen these insulin-producing cells come completely back to normal, and that is truly remarkable.”

Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who led the study, said: “For many years, it has been assumed that type 2 diabetes is a life sentence.

”It's chronic, it's progressive, people need more and more tablets, and eventually they need insulin. It's a downhill slope.

“However, we have been able to show that it is in fact reversible.”

Libby Dowling, from the charity Diabetes UK, who has funded the study, said it was only in the early stages.

“We've got a bit of a way to go but it's a promising first step,” she said.

In the study, doctors selected 11 type 2 diabetics and used a powerful scanner to monitor fat in the pancreas which regulates blood sugar levels.

The patients were then put on a strict diet of just 600 calories a day consisting of slimming shakes, non-starchy vegetables, tea and zero-calorie drinks.

After just one week, early morning blood sugar levels had returned to normal among the group.

After two months the fat in the pancreas of each patient had returned to normal levels and the pancreas was making insulin normally.

At the end of the eight weeks when they said that my pancreas was working again, it was absolutely fantastic, like winning the lottery.

Retired lorry driver Gordon Parmley

Three months later, after going back to normal eating with advice on portion control and healthy foods, seven people remained free of diabetes.

“The insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have gone to sleep in type 2 diabetes - they are not really doing very much,” explained Professor Taylor.

“As the level of fat in the pancreas has reduced, we have seen these insulin-producing cells come completely back to normal, and that is truly remarkable.”

Retired lorry driver Gordon Parmley, from Stocksfield in Northumberland, spent four years on daily medication for type 2 diabetes despite being only 2st overweight.

Obese people are particularly at risk of developing type 2 diabetes

The diet worked and 18 months later he is still free of diabetes and does not have to take any tablets.