from Great Game India:
A groundbreaking study suggests that intermittent fasting could be more effective than standard diabetes medications for managing Type 2 diabetes. Participants who followed a 5:2 intermittent fasting diet—eating normally for five days and drastically reducing calories for two—showed significant improvements in blood sugar levels and substantial weight loss compared to those on metformin or empagliflozin. This approach allows the body to burn stored fat and improve insulin sensitivity, potentially offering a natural alternative to pharmaceutical treatments. The findings highlight how dietary changes like intermittent fasting could revolutionize diabetes management by leveraging the body’s natural mechanisms to regulate blood sugar.
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A new study published on Friday found that intermittent fasting may regulate blood sugar more efficiently than popular diabetic drugs for persons with Type 2 diabetes. Participants on a 5:2 intermittent fasting diet—eating normally for five days and limiting calories for two—had lower blood sugar levels and lost more weight than those using regular diabetic medications. This shows that dietary adjustments could be an effective way to manage diabetes.
Study Highlights and Key Findings
The EARLY [Exploration of Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Overweight/Obese Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus] research, a randomized clinical trial conducted in nine Chinese hospitals, investigated the effects of an intermittent fasting diet on glycemic control in persons with Type 2 diabetes.
The trial included 405 participants divided into three groups: one followed the 5:2 fasting diet with meal replacements (MR), while the other two either metformin or empagliflozin (drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes).
Those following the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet had two non-consecutive fasting days each week, during which they ate a low-calorie meal replacement product, restricting their consumption to 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men.
On the remaining five days, they ate their usual breakfast and lunch but had a different meal replacement product for dinner while keeping track of their total calorie consumption.
Nutritionists and research physicians provided thorough nutritional and exercise coaching, as well as basic diabetes education, to all participants.
Over 16 weeks, participants on the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet saw a significant decline in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a critical marker of blood sugar control. The fasting group experienced an average reduction of 1.9%, compared to 1.6% in the metformin group and 1.5% in the empagliflozin group.
The study also found that fasting resulted in significant weight loss. Participants in the 5:2 group dropped 21 pounds on average, compared to 12 pounds in the metformin group and 13 pounds in the empagliflozin group.
According to the research, “the 5:2 MR approach may serve as an effective initial lifestyle intervention instead of antidiabetic drugs for patients with type 2 diabetes.”
Intermittent Fasting and Diabetes
Intermittent fasting has received a lot of interest due to its potential benefits in regulating blood glucose levels, especially for people with Type 2 diabetes. According to Dr. Jason Fung, a renowned expert in intermittent fasting and author of “The Diabetes Code,” reducing calorie consumption on specific days helps stabilize blood sugar levels, increase insulin sensitivity, and lowers the risk of diabetic complications.
Fasting causes your body to lower insulin levels and burn stored fat for energy, so increasing insulin sensitivity. This implies that your cells can better use glucose, lowering overall blood sugar levels. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism discovered that 47 percent of intermittent fasting patients experienced diabetic remission.
“It’s nothing more or less than give your body a break and let it burn off all that energy that you’ve stored away because that’s the natural thing to do if you’ve stored too much,” Dr. Fung said when he spoke at the “Food for Thought 2023: Rising to the challenge of obesity and diabetes” symposium.
Another 2022 study, published in the International Journal of Endocrinology, discovered that intermittent fasting dramatically improves blood glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as insulin resistance, in patients with metabolic syndrome. The meta-analysis revealed decreased fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin levels, and body weight. The study showed that “Intermittent fasting diets have certain therapeutic effects on blood glucose and lipids in patients with metabolic syndrome and significantly improve insulin resistance.”
A Manageable Approach
The 5:2 intermittent fasting strategy has demonstrated promise due to its controllable framework. This method allows people to keep their regular lifestyle for the majority of the week while receiving the benefits of fasting. These studies emphasize intermittent fasting’s potential as a practical, non-pharmaceutical strategy to managing Type 2 diabetes, providing patients with a flexible choice for lifestyle-based therapies.
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