IT MAY be possible to reverse Type 2 diabetes by putting people with the condition on an extreme low calorie diet.
A preliminary trial on 11 people showed the diet caused changes in the body that brought blood sugar levels back to normal.
The Diabetes Federation of Ireland welcomed the results but warned that people should not attempt the low calorie treatment themselves given the severity of the diet that must be followed.
Newcastle University researchers reduced calorific intake for subjects from the normal 2,000-2,200 calories a day to just 600 a day.
“It wouldn’t be feasible for a Joe Soap to try and undertake a 600 calorie diet,” said the federation’s health promotion and research manager, Dr Anna Clarke. “However, the fact that they can achieve these results in this small group is very interesting.”
Diabetes is a disease where a person cannot control the level of sugar in their blood. Type 1 diabetes affects children who must take insulin shots to control blood sugar. Type 2 is often called late onset, where sugar levels are controlled through tablets and diet.
Increasing obesity in the general population has caused an explosion of Type 2 cases, the Newcastle researchers pointed out in their study, published in the journal Diabetologia.
The researchers put their subjects on the severe diet, which included liquid drinks and non-starchy vegetables, all under the close supervision of a medical team. The diet caused weight loss, but within a week it also brought blood sugar levels back to normal.
They also found patients’ pancreases lost built-up fat, which had clogged the organs. The assumption is that the fat removal helped to restore normal insulin secretion in these Type 2 patients.
Dr Clarke said any Type 2 patient can see improvements in their condition by taking more exercise and reducing their weight, a major risk factor for Type 2. This, however, should not be through an extreme diet, as used in the Newcastle study.
For more information see federation website www.diabetes.ie