Did you know that Type 2 Diabetes can be put into remission?
Come off your diabetic medications, save money and enjoy a life with less medication side effects
Deepa Mahananda
4/2/2020
For decades patients with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes have been advised by their doctors that it is a chronic progressive disease. In other words, that there is no cure and that it will get worse over months to years, eventually requiring tablet medication and potentially insulin injections. This explanation is often also accompanied by vague advice about following the Australian dietary guidelines.[1] The problem with using these guidelines is that they do not apply to people with a medical condition, like diabetes, who need individualised dietary advice. They also have not been updated since 2013! So it is no wonder that this leaves many Type 2 diabetics confused as to how to manage their condition.
Type 2 diabetes is largely the result of two major metabolic problems [2]:
- Insulin resistance and then later
- Inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin
These metabolic problems cause a state in which the pancreas eventually cannot produce enough insulin to process the amount of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream, thus resulting in the condition we know as diabetes. What if we had a dietary approach that targets the underlying metabolic problems? A low carbohydrate pattern of eating has been an effective form of prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes.
There is mounting evidence to support a low carbohydrate pattern of eating to not only reverse the condition but also to treat prediabetes. By lowering carbohydrate in the diet, patients can achieve more stable blood sugar levels, lower HbA1c, lower triglycerides and achieve a higher HDL cholesterol as seen in the Virta health 2 year study which followed 262 patients.[3] Other benefits include coming off diabetic medications (under medical supervision), which results in both the reduced medication expenses and consequently less medication side effects.
In 2019, the American Diabetic Association acknowledged that low carb diets are the most effective in diabetes management and have added it to their Standards of Care consensus guidelines.[4] It is only a matter of time before we see this change in the equivalent Australian guidelines. The results that we see with our clinic protocol for Type 2 diabetics mirror the literature in that many are able to report reversal of their disease. If you have felt you have lost control over how to manage your diabetes, then consider a low carbohydrate dietary approach with medical guidance at Sydney Low Carb Specialists.
References
- National Health and Medical Research Council (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council.
- The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. General practice management of type 2 diabetes: 2016–18. East Melbourne, Vic: RACGP, 2016
- Athinarayanan SJ, Adams RN, Hallberg SJ, et al. Long-Term Effects of a Novel Continuous Remote Care Intervention Including Nutritional Ketosis for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes: A 2-year Non-randomized ClinTrialical . Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2019; 10:348. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00348
- Lifestyle Management: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2019 American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care Jan 2019, 42 (Supplement 1) S46-S60; DOI: 10.2337/dc19-S00
This article provides general information from the current scientific evidence base and clinical judgement of the author. It is designed for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for medical advice. The author recommends you seek personally tailored support from a qualified healthcare practitioner before undertaking any major lifestyle change.
