By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

December 14, 2018

Once someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they often believe it’s a life-long condition that has to be “managed”.  But there is nothing farther from the truth.

Diabetes is completely reversible. I’ve seen over and over again in my own patients. And there is plenty of evidence to back me up on this.

In particular, there is a chain of diabetes studies I’ve been following for several years now. It’s a trio of scientific articles that absolutely prove diabetic patients can put their diabetes into remission and toss their anti-diabetic medications in a matter of weeks– with long-lasting results.Isn’t this what every diabetic dreams of?

One thing we know for sure is this. Diabetes medications don’t cure or reverse diabetes. All they do is lower high blood sugar, which is only a sign of the disease.  And in my experience, these meds can actually make diabetes worse.

Almost all diabetes medications – like insulin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones and repaglinide – contribute to weight gain.

Well guess what? Losing weight is the only proven way to reverse diabetes. That means these weight-promoting drugs are likely making the disease worse, not better. You are much better off treating the root cause.

This is where those studies I mentioned earlier come into play.

In each of them, diabetic patients were taken off their meds. Then they ate a very low-calorie diet (700 to 853 calories daily) for three to five months. After that, food intake was increased in small increments over the next two to eight weeks.

The results were almost immediate. In the first seven days liver fat dropped, insulin sensitivity returned and blood sugar normalized. After eight weeks, pancreatic fat declined to normal levels.

These are some extremely important points.

You see, extra fat in the liver reduces insulin response. It also increases glucose production. Plus,some of that excess liver fat gets passed on to the pancreas. That’s where it does some real damage. It can cause your beta cells to fail. (These are the cells responsible for storing and releasing insulin.)

But get this. Losing just a single gram of fat from the pancreas can restore beta-cell function and jump-start the normal production of insulin. In other words, it can reverse diabetes!

More than half of the patients who lost 22 to 33 pounds reversed their condition and remained diabetes free at the end of 12 months. That number jumped to 86% in those who lost more than 33 pounds.

Just imagine! Complete remission of the disease that increases your risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke by up to four times. Full reversal of the metabolic disorder that damages your vision, kidneys and nerve function.

Now, before moving forward let me be clear on one thing:

I do not recommend that anyone – diabetic or not – try this type of aggressive calorie restriction without medical supervision. If you are serious about pursuing this avenue, work directly with a trained medical professional who can closely follow your progress and monitor your health. (It’s definitely worth the effort!)

As a second option, you can get similar results using another strategy that doesn’t involve such a radical restriction of calories.

Try Mini-Fasts to Put Diabetes into Remission

One of the reasons calorie restriction works so well to reverse diabetes and aid in weight loss is because it forces your body into a biological process called autophagy. This is yourbody’s natural, built-in internal cleansing system.

But this system becomes less efficient as you get older. When that happens, it leads to weight gain,obesity, fatty liver, pancreatic fat, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Well, I’ve got some great news for you.

Calorie restriction isn’t the only way to trigger autophagy. You can also activate it with a form of intermittent fasting called a “timed eating strategy”. I consider it more of a“mini-fasting” program. And it’s surprisingly easy to do.

Simply designate a window of six to eight hours each day to enjoy healthy meals. Then fast for the remaining16 to 18 hours.

You don’t have to skip meals.You don’t have to cut calories. And you don’t have to starve yourself. You can schedule regular meals within any six to eight hour time window that suits your lifestyle.

Some people like an early schedule… their first meal at 8 a.m. and their last between 2 and 4 p.m. Others prefer eating their first meal of the day around noon, and finishing up before8 p.m. It’s entirely up to you as long as you fast for at least 16 hours each day.

Even better, you can jumpstart the process by taking resveratrol and pterostilbene. These are calorie restriction mimetics. They work by turning on your Sirt1 gene, which helps regulate autophagy. Get at least 50 mg of resveratrol and 25 mg of pterostilbene each day.

For maximum activation of autophagy, I also recommend regular physical activity in the form of high-intensity interval training and aiming for a solid eight hours of sleep each night.

Whichever option you choose – calorie restriction or mini-fasting – the key is sticking with it. And don’t forget to stay in touch with your doctor to keep your meds adjusted as your body heals!

Sources:

Hollander P. Anti-Diabetes and Anti-Obesity Medications: Effects on Weight in People With Diabetes. DiabetesSpectrum. Jul 2007, 20 (3) 159-165.

LimEL, et al. Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol. Diabetologia. 2011 Oct; 54(10): 2506–2514.

Steven S, et al. Very Low-Calorie Diet and 6 Months of Weight Stability in Type 2 Diabetes: Pathophysiological Changes in Responders and Nonresponders. Diabetes Care. 2016May;39(5):808-15.

Lean ME, et al. Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2018 Feb10;391(10120):541-551.

Bhatt AA, et al. Effect of a Low-Calorie Diet on Restoration of Normoglycemia in Obese subjects with Type 2Diabetes. Indian J Endocrinol Metab.2017 Sep-Oct; 21(5): 776–780.

Baltzis D, et al. Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes on Conventional Versus Intensive Insulin Therapy: Efficacy of Low-Calorie Dietary Intervention. Adv Ther. 2016Mar;33(3):447-59.

Czaja MJ. Functions of Autophagy in Hepatic and Pancreatic Physiology and Disease. Gastroenterology. 2011 Jun; 140(7):1895–1908.

Yang L, et al. Defective hepatic autophagy in obesity promotes ER stress and causes insulin resistance. Cell Metab. 2010 Jun 9;11(6):467-78.

Yang J-S, et al. Autophagy and its link to type II diabetes mellitus. Biomedicine (Taipei). 2017 Jun; 7(2): 8.

Liu K, et al. Effect of resveratrol on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014Jun;99(6):1510-9.

Weng T-P, et al. Effects of Interval and Continuous Exercise Training on CD4 Lymphocyte Apoptotic and Autophagic Responses to Hypoxic Stress in Sedentary Men. PLoS One.2013; 8(11): e80248.Ma D, et al. Circadian autophagy rhythm: a linkbetween clock and metabolism? Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Jul;23(7): 319–325.