After twenty years of type-2 diabetes, patients no longer need insulin thanks to intermittent fasting
People who have been diabetic for decades and who need to use insulin can stop using their diabetes medication if they start intermittent fasting. At least, that was the case with the three type-2 diabetics that researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada wrote about in BMJ Case Reports.
In May 2018 we wrote about a small human study, in which intermittent fasting in prediabetic people increased insulin sensitivity. The Canadians went a step further, experimenting with three men, who had been diabetic for years, and had to use insulin.
Case 1
Case 1 was a 40-year-old man who had been diagnosed with diabetes type-2 20 years ago. He also had high blood pressure and a high cholesterol. Before he went to bed, he injected 58 units of long-acting insulin glargine. During the day he injected twice with 22 units of fast-acting insulin-aspart. In addition, he took 300 mg of canagliflozin and 1 gram of metformin twice a day. Both are oral glucose lowering drugs.
Every other day the man ate one meal only. On the other days he only ate twice, in the afternoon and in the evening. He lost 12 percent of his weight and 13 percent of his waist, and felt fine.
Case 2
Case 2 was a 52-year-old male who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 25 years earlier. He also had kidney disease, high blood pressure and a high cholesterol. He injected twice daily with 25 units of the fast-acting insulin lispro.
This man followed the same fasting regimen as case 1, without experiencing any problems. He lost 18 percent of his weight and 22 percent of his waist.
Case 3
Case 3 was a 67-year-old male who had been diagnosed with type-2 at age 57. He also had high blood pressure and a high cholesterol. Every day he swallowed a gram of metformin, every morning he injected 30 units of insulin lispro, and each evening he injected an additional 20 units lispro as well.
This man ate once a day 3 times a week. On the other 4 days he only ate in the afternoon and in the evening.
No more insulin
All three men no longer needed insulin injections due to intermittent fasting. Cases 2 and 3 also did not have to take oral drugs anymore, case 1 could drastically reduce its use of oral drugs.
Source:
BMJ Case Rep 2018. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-221854.
More:
Intermittent fasting may prevent diabetes type-2 24.05.2018
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