Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Reverse Diabetes?
Dietary restrictions (DR) have been used for thousands of years to internally cleanse the body and promote health. They play a central role in many cultures and religions (such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism). Fasting, the most extreme form of DR, involves abstaining from all food but not water. It kills damaged cells, puts healthy cells into a protected mode and creates new young cells. Fasting has long been linked to a variety of health benefits, including improved control of blood sugar, weight loss, heart health, brain function and the prevention of cancer. Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that...

Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Reverse Diabetes?
Dietary restrictions (DR) have been used for thousands of years to internally cleanse the body and promote health. They play a central role in many cultures and religions (such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism).
Fast, the most extreme form of DR, involves abstaining from all food but not water. It kills damaged cells, puts healthy cells into a protected mode and creates new young cells. Fasting has long been linked to a variety of health benefits, including improved control of blood sugar, weight loss, heart health, brain function and the prevention of cancer.
Intermittent fasting(IF) is an eating pattern that alternates between fasting and eating. In humans, it has been shown to have positive effects on blood sugar, insulin and blood pressure.
Longer fasting(PF) fasts for two or more days. When fasting bouts are separated by at least a week of normal eating (a 2:7 strategy), PF results in a decrease in blood sugar and insulin levels. In addition, PF is accompanied byAutophagy(the cellular self-cleaning process that breaks down and recycles damaged molecules).
A PF 2:7 diet strategy has a growing reputation among medical professionals and dietitians as a highly effective strategy for protecting normal cells and organs from a variety of toxins and serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and liver problems, while increasing the death rate of many types of cancer cells.
The problem is that most people find it very difficult to fast for two days (48 hours in a row) with only water. In addition, its extreme nature can have detrimental health consequences, particularly in the elderly and infirm, as well as those with pre-existing medical conditions. A less strict diet with similar effects to a full-bodied PF is required.
AFasting mimics dieting(FMD) is a diet that mimics the effects of fasting. Experiments conducted a few years ago found that four-day FMD cycles followed by a regular diet can provide similar benefits to a PF 2:7 diet.
One such study was published in published inCell metabolismin July 2015. The research was divided into several parts.
Clinical study on fasting
ByStudy on animalsThe mice were given a restricted diet for four days twice a month and were allowed to eat as much as they wanted in between.
After each FMD cycle, the mice had lower blood sugar and insulin levels and a reduction in certain inflammatory factors such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is associated with aging and cancer, compared to mice without the restricted diet.
After 28 months, the mice with FMD had also lost weight and had less abdominal fat (which is associated with diabetes) compared to the other mice. Fasting mice also had longer lifespans.
Byhuman experiment19 subjects received a special FMD five days a month for three months. Another 19 participants acted as controls, eating their usual diet.
The test subjects followed a very specific diet to reduce the risk of fasting but still provide essential nutrients and minimize the psychological difficulties experienced when fasting. The special diet included vegetable-based soups, energy bars, energy drinks, chamomile tea and a dietary supplement that provides 44% fat, 47% carbohydrates and 9% protein.
They were limited to 1,090 calories on the first day of the five-day diet and just 725 calories on the final four days. Those who suffered from FMD reduced their fasting blood sugar levels by an average of 11.3%... more than a type 2 diabetic would normally experience using a typical routine diabetes medication.
The study also found that IGF-1 was reduced by 24% (a plus for cancer prevention) and CRP levels, a marker of inflammation, were also reduced. In addition, people with FMD lost 3% of their weight and reduced their belly fat, as well as a number of other health benefits.
The overall results suggest that partial fasting may help control diabetes.
However, this is just a study with only 19 subjects, and obviously more research is needed to confirm the results. However, there is reason to hope that intermittent fasting can reverse type 2 diabetes. I plan to try it...
Inspired by Paul D Kennedy