Posted: 00:01, 23 September 2022 | Updated: 00:05, 23 September 2022
Even thin people with type 2 diabetes can reverse their condition through a soup and diet, researchers revealed today. And they only need to lose 10 percent of their body weight, experts believe. This is the equivalent of someone 13st (83kg) frame losing 1st 4lb (8kg). Newcastle University scientists say the findings, presented at a medical conference in Sweden, support the idea that everyone has a “personal fat limit”. Type 2 diabetes affects around 4.5 million people in Britain and 37 million in the US. Although largely caused by obesity, about 15 percent of all sufferers are “normal weight” (stock) Professor Roy Taylor, a world-renowned diabetes expert and lead researcher, said: “If you develop type 2 diabetes, you simply have more fat in your body than you can handle, even if it’s seemingly lean. “This excess fat spills over into your liver and pancreas stopping normal function and causing type 2 diabetes. “You only need an extra half gram of fat in the pancreas to prevent normal insulin production. “I often get asked, ‘Why do I have type 2 diabetes when all my friends are older than me and don’t have diabetes?’ The present work answers this enigma.” Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, or the insulin it does produce does not work properly – leading to high blood sugar levels.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar to be too high. More than 4 million people in the UK are thought to have some form of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight, and you may be more likely to develop it if it runs in the family. The condition means the body does not respond properly to insulin – the hormone that controls the absorption of sugar into the blood – and cannot properly regulate blood sugar glucose levels. Excess fat in the liver increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as the accumulation makes it harder to control glucose levels and also makes the body more resistant to insulin. Losing weight is key to reducing fatty liver and controlling symptoms. Symptoms include fatigue, feeling thirsty and frequent urination. It can lead to more serious nerve, vision and heart problems. Treatment usually involves changing your diet and lifestyle, but more severe cases may require medication. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness and leave patients requiring limb amputation or in a coma. It affects around 4.5 million people in Britain and 37 million in the US. Although it is largely due to obesity, about 15 percent of all sufferers are of “normal weight”. This puts them in the group known as TOFIs – who are “thin on the outside and fat on the inside”. TOFIs are usually not advised to lose weight, with doctors believing their condition has another cause. But the new findings prove that the guidance — which has been withdrawn for years — is wrong. Twenty participants were selected for the study. They had an average BMI of 24.8 — defined as a “healthy” weight. All volunteers were asked to stick to an 800-calorie daily regimen for a fortnight, consisting of low-calorie shakes and soups. A similar diet, labeled a ‘game changer’, has been shown to help overweight type 2 diabetics reverse their condition. The results showed that NHS doctors are prescribing soups and shakes to help obese Britons lose weight. Participants were then allowed to give up the soups and shakes, but eat sensibly for up to six weeks, so they didn’t put the pounds back on. The cycle was repeated up to three times, until they lost at least 10 percent of their body weight. Fourteen volunteers went into remission, allowing them to come off all their medications. Reversal was defined as blood sugar levels remaining below the technical cutoff for diabetes for at least six months. Their average BMI dropped to 22.4. Meanwhile, MRI scans showed that the levels of fat in the liver and pancreas had decreased “substantially”. The findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Stockholm.
Marathon runner diagnosed with diabetes now in remission after soups and shakes diet
Having recently run his first marathon, David Childs seemed an unlikely candidate for type 2 diabetes. But he was diagnosed in June 2020 after severe daily headaches and fainting because his blood sugar was too high. Having recently run his first marathon, David Childs seemed an unlikely candidate for type 2 diabetes. But he was diagnosed in June 2020 after suffering severe daily headaches and fainting because his blood sugar had risen too high Mr Childs, 48, enrolled in the ReTUNE trial to reverse type 2 diabetes last March as one of about 10% of people with the condition who are at a healthy weight. The father-of-four, from the village of Clinton in South Tyneside, said: “Even my doctor didn’t think I had type 2 diabetes at first. “I have no family history of diabetes, I’m slim and I had recently run a marathon, after several half marathons. But unfortunately, while I didn’t have a beer belly, I did have excess fat in my liver. “I was determined to get off the tablets I had been prescribed and reverse it if I could.” Mr. Childs completed two months of soup diets and meal replacement shakes to lose about 10 percent of his body weight. This took the 48-year-old, who is fiveft 11in tall, to 82kg (12 stone 13lb). Mr Childs, who works for a pharmaceutical company, went into remission from diabetes halfway through the trial and hasn’t looked back. He runs twice a week, tries to eat healthy and has cut down on chips and bread. He said: “I was worried that my future involved slowly increasing my medication and risking health problems from diabetes. “Now every morning I still prick my finger to check my sugar and, every time I see that it is normal, I smile to myself that I no longer have diabetes.”
