Can Calorie restriction cure diabetes?

This was an interesting result from a Diabetes experiment which may have discovered the way to help people with the disease live a longer healthier life and even possibly reverse the effects of the disease.

With everything we know about obesity and diabetes this does make sense but there will have to be more studies done which will enable Dr.s and health practitioners to study the effects in both adults and children.

The only concern I have is that they claim the test subjects remained on a 500 calorie per day diet and that is just not enough for growing active children and some adults.

Also not all people with diabetes are over weight, not by a long shot and so what to do to get the calorie count up enough for those people while reversing the effects of the disease?

Anyway take a look for yourself at this fascinating report:

Can Calorie restriction cure diabetes?

Have scientists hit upon a simple cure for diabetes? New research shows that calorie restriction goes a long way toward eliminating the health problems that go hand in hand with type 2 diabetes. To test the effect of calorie restriction, Dutch researchers enlisted 15 obese men and women with type 2 diabetes and used MRI scans to check their hearts for fatty deposits that are known to impair cardiac function, according to a written statement released by the Radiological Society of North America. Then they had the volunteers follow a 500-calorie-a-day diet for four months and re-scanned their hearts.

Perhaps most striking, all of the volunteers were able to discontinue their insulin injections after embarking on calorie restriction, study author Dr Sebastiaan Hammer of the department of radiology at Leiden University Medical Center told Medscape. "It is striking to see how a relatively simple intervention of a very low calorie diet effectively cures type 2 diabetes mellitus," he said in a written statement.

diabetesnews.com...

That's type II diabetes. That's not real diabetes.

I thought it was known for some time that living a healthy lifestyle essentially cures type II?

reply to post by antar


Please note the following: Diabetes is CAUSED by a faulty immune response that attacks the Islets of Langerhanz in the pancreas thus impairing the bodies ability to make insulin. A cure would involve either blocking the attack or preventing the attack in the first place.

Controlling blood sugar by controlling intake is NOT a cure for diabetes! Extreme dieting of this nature may appear to "cure" diabetes by allowing people to get off insulin but honestly - could any reasonable human being limit themselves to 500 calories a day, every day for the rest of their lives. As soon as they go back to eating the way they were - they will have to go right back on insulin!

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

Not real diabetes? Immune response? Cured by healthy lifestyle?

What a lot of ignorance.

Sorry, OP. This is interesting. I've seen studies where 30 days on a raw diet could reverse type II diabetes. I wonder if the raw diet helped because it was very low-calorie.

I've seen a few reversals in real life, but I've seen others in real life follow strict diets and work very hard at it, and continue to have diabetes. However, the diet ordered by doctors that most type II's follow has NO scientific basis and has not been proven to help at all. So many diabetics are carefully following very useless diets, and afraid to try things like this because they've been scared by those same doctors.

Blech. I hate doctors.

Originally posted by TiredofControlFreaks
reply to post by antar

 

Please note the following: Diabetes is CAUSED by a faulty immune response that attacks the Islets of Langerhanz in the pancreas thus impairing the bodies ability to make insulin. A cure would involve either blocking the attack or preventing the attack in the first place.

Controlling blood sugar by controlling intake is NOT a cure for diabetes! Extreme dieting of this nature may appear to "cure" diabetes by allowing people to get off insulin but honestly - could any reasonable human being limit themselves to 500 calories a day, every day for the rest of their lives. As soon as they go back to eating the way they were - they will have to go right back on insulin!

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

Not always in type 2, as far as I understand (and the study was about people with type 2 diabetes). When you have type 2, your body makes a lot of insulin, for years, in response to a faulty diet with lots of refined carbs, trying to control your blood sugar. Your cells become resistant to the insulin, and start to ignore it. You've GOT the insulin, but you aren't responding to it, so your pancreas has to pump out more and more.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin.

www.diabetes.org...

Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin; however, either their pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body cannot use the insulin adequately. This is called insulin resistance. When there isn't enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose (sugar) can't get into the body's cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body's cells are not able to function properly.

diabetes.webmd.com...

So I DO think that you can "heal" the body from type 2 diabetes, based on everything I have read.

But I agree...who could stick to 500 calories a day for 4 months????

One thing to note is that my Grandpa has type 2 and I do all I can to help him keep it under control.

That said, he has gone into the hospital a few times over the past couple years and each time he does and eats the hospital food, he ends up having a roller coaster ride of his diabetes. He has always ended up taking injections daily while under medical care when at home he never does he just keeps it under control with diet.

Now a couple months ago my ex Father-in-law went into the hospital for pneumonia and he although over weight has never suffered from diabetes and as a Vet goes regularly to checkups where he has everything checked and is in pretty good health for the most part.

When my ex Father in law went to the hospital he too was forced to take insulin shots to keep his sugar levels normal.

Now when we look at the rise in obese children as well as the rise in type2 in children, it needs to be addressed loud and clear that these children are on lunch programs at their schools that feed them the same types of food as the hospitals.

The children that are being monitored through the school lunch programs often receive high calorie and fattening, salty, sugary sweets to take home on the weekends as schools have the idea that most of these 'welfare' children may only eat while at school.

Although this may be true in some cases it is not something which helps in this issue when it comes to healthy eating habits.

Yes, controlling calories and adhering to a low carb diet full of fresh veggies and exercise does control diabetes.

Four years ago, my mom had a stroke and we later found out it was due to high blood sugar and stress... my dad had gone into emergency surgery a few days before...

Anyway, by the end of the week my diabetic mom was on one end of the hospital and my dad was on the other... a wonder that I didn't suffer a similar fate. Long story short...

My mother was put on a strict and yet seemingly generous diet. She could eat all the green, steamed and fresh leafy vegatables she wanted... any time and as much as she desired. She was allowed one small portion of a carb with each meal.... a sigle roll...or an ice cream scoop sized portion of potatoes... or she could tough it out and have one of those tiny cups of sugar free ice cream. She could also have a small side portion of meat.. preferably broiled, baked, or steamed.

Amazingly, by the end of a couple of months... she was not only NOT taking any medicine for diabetes, but the diabetes had pretty much dissappeared... previously, the next step was injections... now with diet and walking two miles a day... she is in the best shape ever... right along with my dad. He is amazingly 83 and she is 77... they still garden, cut two yards, my folks put up over 40 quarts of tomatoes this past summer, they do volunteer work, and still travel, and stay as busy as they want. Both have pretty much made full recoveries and you would guess them to be in their 60s... so yes, diet does make a difference.

reply to post by GeorgiaGirl


please read your own posting again! Notice how it says "or don't produce enough insulin" under Type II diabetes????

IN actual fact - diabetes is a PROGRESSIVE DISEASE. If you live long enough, a person can go through the entire spectrum from controlling blood sugar with diet and exercise, then to controlling blood sugar with pills (some of whom goose up insulin production and some of whom cause cells to recognise and accept insulin), and finally to using insulin to control blood sugar

ALL OF THESE related to CONTROLLING blood sugar. This is the NOT the same as CURING diabetes, which is about stopping the immune system from destroying the islets of langerhans.

Tired of Control Freaks

Can Calorie restriction cure diabetes?

Absolutely NO it can not CURE diabetes. Once you are a diabetic you are always a diabetic.(except gestational diabetes.)

Can Calorie restriction control diabetes yes if its caught early before the pancreas burns out.

The first stage of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance where your body is making enough insulin.
but the cells of your body can not metabolise the insulin.

At this point your body sees the extra sugar and starts to store it a fat, this is metabolic syndrome.
but because your cells are not getting enough energy from the mix of insulin + glucose the body puts out even more insulin.

Over time this wears out the insulin producing pancreas and you start running short, this is diabetes.
by drastically reducing your body weigh with a strict Calorie restriction you can for a time (months to years) control the diabetes. this is because you have less cells that need insulin.

Now for the problem.
This will not work on people with type 1 diabetes.
It will not work on people with type 1.5 or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)
And in most cases these people have been DXed as type 2
10 percent of people diagnosed with type 2.have the autoantibodies of type 1
forecast.diabetes.org...

Originally posted by TiredofControlFreaks
reply to post by GeorgiaGirl

 

please read your own posting again! Notice how it says "or don't produce enough insulin" under Type II diabetes????

IN actual fact - diabetes is a PROGRESSIVE DISEASE. If you live long enough, a person can go through the entire spectrum from controlling blood sugar with diet and exercise, then to controlling blood sugar with pills (some of whom goose up insulin production and some of whom cause cells to recognise and accept insulin), and finally to using insulin to control blood sugar

ALL OF THESE related to CONTROLLING blood sugar. This is the NOT the same as CURING diabetes, which is about stopping the immune system from destroying the islets of langerhans.

Tired of Control Freaks

I was aware of that part of it. But it's BOTH. You can't say that it is ALWAYS due to the pancreas not producing insulin. That was my point. You mentioned the part BEFORE the "or" as the only cause...I was trying to point out the part AFTER the "or".

reply to post by GeorgiaGirl


GeorgiaGirl

I am not trying to pick on you.

Here is the point I am trying to make. There is currently an anti-obesity campaign going on. Do not dream for even one minute that the goal of this campaign is the health of the population. This campaign started in 1998 when the standards of what defines obesity was changed. Formerly, a woman with a BMI of 27 was considered normal. Now the same woman has to have a BMI of 25. An instant epidemic was created because the number of people who met the new definition of obesity increased dramatically when the standard was lowered.

The purpose of this epidemic (like the anti-smoking campaign) is money. Money for Big Pharma for anti-obesity drugs. Money for public health to run anti-obesity campaigns. Money through taxation for the government. Money extorted from the poor.

The basis of this discrimination is to convince the public that obese people are costing them money through increased health care costs. To do this, it is necessary to convince the public that diabetics are responsible for their disease and can "cure" themselves with lifestyle changes.

These are the facts. If you think of diabetes as just one disease. And that each person is somewhere along on the continuum. Early in the disease, its easy to control diabetes with diet and exercise. But as the immune system continues to attack the Islets of Langerhans, its gets harder and harder. The issue of insulin resistance is another one. Despite what you may have read, insulin resistance is NOT limited to Type II diabetics. It occurs in Type I diabetics as well.

Can you imagine what it feels like to have this disease, that you MUST manage every day of your life and to have some yahoo tell you (with great moral superiority) that IF ONLY - you follow his advice, you would be disease free?

Diabetics come in all shapes and sizes. There are people who wiegh 500 lbs who are NOT diabetics and there are people who are actually underwieght who ARE diabetics. Because diabetics is NOT CAUSED by obesity. Its an abnormal immune response.

Sure - if you are early in the continuum - at first - its easy to control your calories and do some daily exercise. I did it myself for over 10 years. But as you age....the disease progresses. Now the calories you are able to take in drop to less than 1000 / day and you must exercise vigorously for 2 or more hours a day to control your blood sugar.

Could you live like that...with every minute of your life being one of deprivation and only enough energy to exercise and forgoing activities like going for a coffee with your friends because you only have the time for things that will provide exercise???? For how long can you live like that??

So you turn to medication so that you can eat a diet that satisfies your appetite and allows you to have a bit of fun in life and BANG - theres that yahoo again - telling you with great moral superiority -- that IF ONLY you follow his advice.....

Do you see the problem here?

Even those people who report that they know someone who dieted and lost wieght and is "no longer a diabetic". This is just for now. The disease WILL progress and those same people will be on medication. Or if those same people eat just a little more or exercise a little less vigorously as they age...back comes the medication.

High blood sugar is a symptom of diabetes. Diet and exercise merely treats the symptom. The disease is caused by an abnormal immune response. A cure is one where the abnormal immune response is prevented!

I eat 1600 calories per day and exercise in the gym 3 times per week and in the pool 2 times per week. AND I AM DAMN SICK AND TIRED OF BEING TOLD THAT DIET AND EXERCISE IS THE CURE! The hell it is! Its just a delaying action with the idea that if you can delay the progression of the disease, hopefully, you will die of something else before the diabetes kills or disables you.

But public health will convince people like you that people like me are social pariahs who are responsible for their own disease. I will continue to be vilified and patronized for a disease that has a very very strong genetic link.

There is only one way I can fight back. That is to tell the truth. If diet and exercise is the CURE for diabetes, then why aren't these people on the stage in Switzerland accepting their Nobel Peace Prize. Diet and exercise are two treatments for the symptoms of diabetes, medication is the third. But all they are doing is treating the symptom, not CURING the disease.

TIRED OF CONTROL FREAKS

reply to post by TiredofControlFreaks


GeorginaGirl

BTW - when the obesity standards were lowered in 1998 - the normal blood sugar standard was also lowered from 8 to 7 (metric system here ). So people who were considered normal - all of a sudden - were classed as obese AND diabetic.

I should inform you that I have been a diabetic for 30 years now.

Tired of Control Freaks

reply to post by TiredofControlFreaks


Wow, you seem to be very strong and opinionated for good reason, I will take what you say to heart. I do wish you would start a thread where you can educate people who have no other choice but to believe the written word.

reply to post by TiredofControlFreaks

Originally posted by TiredofControlFreaks
High blood sugar is a symptom of diabetes. Diet and exercise merely treats the symptom. The disease is caused by an abnormal immune response. A cure is one where the abnormal immune response is prevented!

Thank you so much for your post, it is spot on!

As a reference for those that do not know about the research being done regarding type 2 diabetes.

Type-2 diabetes linked to autoimmune reaction in study
Type-2 diabetes is likely to have its roots in an autoimmune reaction deep within the body, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of Toronto. The finding, coupled with a similar study by the same group in 2009, vaults the disorder into an entirely new, unexpected category that opens the door to novel potential therapies.

----------

The findings blur the lines between type-2 diabetes (which has been thought to be primarily a metabolic disease) and type-1 (or juvenile) diabetes. Type-2 diabetes occurs when a person’s tissues become progressively resistant to insulin, a hormone required for the body to properly metabolize dietary glucose. Type-1 diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

The root cause of the insulin resistance in type-2 diabetes is not known, but it’s associated with obesity and can run in families.

There is much more at the link. stanford.edu

I believe this research holds great promise. The challenge will be the treatment it produces coming to market. I honestly do not think the billion dollar drug companies will allow their profits to be cut into by curing this disease.

OiO

reply to post by OneisOne


My anger is not directed at people who don't understand the mechanisms of diabetes.

My anger is NOT even directed at people who, trusting in their moral superiority, presume to advise me on how to cure a disease I have managed for 30 years.

My anger is directed full-force at "public health" who are grooming the public to hate and discriminate against the obese in exactly the same fashion they did to smokers.

of course - they are also going after drinkers as well - so soon we will all be hating each other and blaming each other for high health care costs.

www.spiked-online.com...


Tired of Control Freaks

Obesity in most type 2 diabetics is NOT caused by over eating in most cases type 2 diabetics had a pre diabetic condition called metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)for many years before they showed diabetes on lab test. This is the cause of the Obesity.

The main marker of metabolic syndrome is insulin resistance.

Because your cells do not use insulin right your body stores sugar as fat.
and diets don't work.because instead of losing weight you end up starving your cells like joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues you also mess with your immune system.

Most doctors don't treat metabolic syndrome.
Most doctors don't even no how to treat metabolic syndrome execpt to tell you to lose weight.

I had metabolic syndrome for years even though i worked hard labor jobs and was very active AND eat a diabetic diet(carb restricted NOT calorie restricted as you get all the meat protein to replace some of the carbs). yes i was over weight.
but it was the same type overweight you see in bodybuilders, solid muscles.
(in In Arnold Schwarzenegger prime, he was classified as being obese(BMI) and we all know that was not the case at all (6'1 235 lbs..))

In 2002 t got fibromyalgia along with sarcoidosis and was disabled.(you would be surprised how fast muscle turns to fat if you can not move)
In 2008 i started taking metformin and one of the first things i noticed was a drop by about 50% in my fibromyalgia pain.

I had been starving the muscles in my body as the insulin resistance plus the diabetic diet had taken away the bodies ability to supply the proper insulin+glucose mix to the cells.

Expect to have muscle pain on a 500 Calorie restriction if you are active.as your muscles will be starving and not be able to repair themselves without meat protein that is restricted because of the fat calories.

And one last point if you are one of those THIN type 2 diabetics DO NOT try this Calorie restriction diets without STRICT DOCTORS supervision because it will kill you.(if you are a thin type 2 you likely have type 1.5 autoimmune diabetes.)

I S&F this post because these are the types of threads that need to be posted; however do you know from first hand experience if this works? I know a lot of people with diabetes, and I would love to spread the knowledge around to save others by either taking certain vitamins or minerals whatever it may be. I know Zinc and other things can be very healthy that are found in multi-vitamins... It depends though on the persons intake of those certain vitamins or minerals...Great post

Vitamins possibly cure?

I usually take garlic and all, but I am sure there are other remedies out there, but that is for you to explore as an individual...I can only guide to a certain extent...

reply to post by KonquestAbySS


From personal experience and a little rational thought:

I tried bitter melon and cinnamon extracts. Neither of them worked as well as metformin and both were two to five times more expensive. I know that they are the treatments of choice in other countries though.

Did everyone catch what ANNED posted. Its VERY important to understand this!

Text Blue

Did you catch that? Even before your blood sugar goes out of control, you are in a state that CAUSES wieght gain!!!!!. This is not about a few people pigging out at MacDonald's! or having NO self control.

And consider that woman lose at least some thyroid function in their 30's making the wieght gain problem even worse!

What you have here folks is wieght gain that is NOT in the control of the individual.

So before you walk up to some person, who you may or may not know well, and start telling them that IF ONLY they could eat like you do OR exercise like you do, then they wouldn't be fat and they could CURE their diabetes.....think long and hard because there are people like me out there that are going to answer you back in a way that you are NOT going to enjoy!

Lets all go back to a time when public health did NOT mean private health and people had the simple civility of minding their own business and sometimes keeping their opinions to themselves.

Tired of Control Freaks
Tired of Control Freaks

Sorry!

This is what ANNED posted

Obesity in most type 2 diabetics is NOT caused by over eating in most cases type 2 diabetics had a pre diabetic condition called metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)for many years before they showed diabetes on lab test. This is the cause of the Obesity.

The main marker of metabolic syndrome is insulin resistance.

Because your cells do not use insulin right your body stores sugar as fat.
and diets don't work.because instead of losing weight you end up starving your cells like joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues you also mess with your immune system.

Tired of Control Freaks

reply to post by antar


Caloric restriction stops the underlying prions from propagating and causing disease symptoms, but it doesn't "cure" diabetes. .....If the patients increase their caloric intake, the symptoms will come back.

On a related note - check out an ancient Chinese text translated by Cleary called (something like) "Secrets of the Immortal Sisterhood."


S&F