Key Points:
- A new study shows intermittent fasting may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
- Diabetes remission was demonstrated in 90% of study participants who took on an intermittent fasting diet.
- More than half of those in remission did not require regular diabetes medication any longer.
Over 537 million adults worldwide suffer from type 2 diabetes, but the disease is not necessarily permanent. In a new small-scale study, researchers from the Hunan Agricultural University in China have shown intermittent fasting diets can help patients achieve complete diabetes remission without medication.
The researchers conducted a 3-month intermittent fasting diet intervention among 36 people with diabetes. They found that almost 90% of participants, including those who took blood sugar-lowering agents and insulin, reduced their diabetes medication intake after intermittent fasting. Fifty-five percent of these people experienced diabetes remission, discontinued their diabetes medication and maintained it for at least one year.
For the purposes of the study, complete diabetes remission was defined as an HbA1c (average blood sugar) level of less than 6.5%.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, challenges the conventional view that diabetes remission can only be achieved in those with a shorter diabetes duration of 0 to 6 years. In this—very limited—study, 55 percent of the study participants whom achieved diabetes remission had a diabetes duration of more than 6 to 11 years.
“Diabetes medications are costly and a barrier for many patients who are trying to effectively manage their diabetes,” said study author Dongbo Liu. “Our study saw medication costs decrease by 77% in people with diabetes after intermittent fasting.”
Intermittent fasting diets have become popular in recent years as an effective weight loss method. With intermittent fasting, you only eat during a specific window of time. 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. Research shows intermittent fasting can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Information provided by Endocrine Society.