Is “Keto” The Key To Reversing Diabetes?

Is “Keto” the Key to Reversing Diabetes?

SEATTLE -- A wave of recent studies show that in many cases, type 2 diabetes is partly or wholly reversible with high fat, very low carb ketogenic diets.
Speakers at the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute 5th annual Thought Leaders Consortium urged the clinical community to radically re-think the received wisdom about this common disorder, and start applying diet and lifestyle programs that actually address the root causes of the condition.
Fresh data from an ongoing study of 232 overweight or obese women and men with type 2 diabetes (average age 54 years, average BMI of 41), provide evidence that after 10 weeks on a carefully-formulated low-carb ketogenic diet, 36% were able to stop insulin therapy completely, while an additional 51% were able to significantly lower their doses.
Mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measures dropped from 7.5% to 6.5%, with 56% of the participants reaching A1c levels below the diagnostic threshold for diabetes. This was accompanied by clinically significant weight loss in 71% of cases (McKenzie A, et al. JMIR Diabetes. 2017 2 (1): e5).
Though many clinicians and researchers have long predicted the possibility, this is the first large-scale study to show that major biomarkers of type 2 diabetes can be consistently shifted in the right direction via dietary interventions.
“We are very pleased with what we are seeing,” said Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Virta Health, a San Francisco based clinic specializing in lifestyle-based treatment of diabetes and related metabolic diseases. “And all of this is based Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Polydipsia: Causes, symptoms, and treatment

Polydipsia is the medical term for extreme thirst, which does not improve no matter how much a person drinks.
It is not a disease by itself but can be an important symptom of certain health problems, such as diabetes. People who have this symptom should always see a doctor.
This article aims to help readers understand polydipsia and how to manage it.
What is polydipsia?
Everyone knows the feeling of thirst. For example, a person may drink large amounts of fluid to relieve thirst brought on after eating salty food, strenuous exercise, or a day in the hot sun.
This type of thirst usually doesn't last long and is easily quenched with fluids.
Polydipsia, on the other hand, can last days, weeks, or even longer depending on the cause. An individual with polydipsia tends to be thirsty most if not all the time, despite regularly drinking large amounts of fluid.
Comments such as "I can't get enough to drink" or "my mouth is so dry" are possible indicators that the person has polydipsia.
Polyuria (large amounts of urine) almost always accompanies polydipsia. One of the kidneys' primary jobs is to help the body find the right balance of water and other fluids.
Polyuria is defined as passing 3 or more liters of urine in 24 hours in adults.
The kidneys also pass more than fluid. For example, sodium and potassium often leave the body along with urine. This can lead to changes in these salts in the body, which can introduce other problems.
While other symptoms found with polydipsia depend on its cause, a common symptom is a dry mouth.
How much water should I drink every day?
How much wate Continue reading

When You Have Diabetes and Urinary Problems

Diabetes and urination problems often go hand in hand — which can be stressful. Dealing with these issues can affect your daily living and quality of life. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than half of people with diabetes have bladder dysfunction.
Difficulties with urination can happen as you get older, but when you have diabetes, bladder problems, and urinary tract infections can start earlier in life and occur more often.
This is because diabetes can cause damage to the nerves that are responsible for urinary system health and function.
In general, women are more likely to experience leakage or urinary incontinence than men because of different anatomical structures and bodily changes from pregnancy and delivery. Men may experience dribbling, weak stream, intermittent flow and urethral obstruction.
Causes of Urinary Problems in Diabetes
Bladder problems can be caused by diabetes nerve damage, nerve damage from other causes, injuries, infections and other diseases. High blood sugar levels can cause frequent urination.
The risk is increased with poor diabetes management, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, excess weight, advanced age, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. Insulin use increases the risk for urinary incontinence.
Common Urinary Problems with Diabetes
Overactive bladder: Bladder spasms or contractions cause an urgent strong need to urinate more than eight times a day or more than two times at night.
Urine leakage or urinary incontinence can be a problem. Treatment options for overactive bladder include medication, bladder training method Continue reading

This Protein Could Be Spreading Type 2 Diabetes Like Mad Cow Disease

A type of misbehaving protein might be behind some cases of type 2 diabetes, indicating the condition could potentially be contracted through blood transfusions and organ transplants, or passed to children before birth.
While a lot more research needs to be done to determine if the risks to the general public are in any way significant, the find has established a new area of study in how the disease develops and spreads inside individuals.
Led by researchers from the University of Texas, the study used mice to test whether clumps of a misfolded protein called amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) taken from a pancreas can spread and produce diabetes-like symptoms when transferred between individuals.
Unlike its sister disease type 1 diabetes, type 2 – or diabetes mellitus – is a condition that forms over time, reducing a person's ability to produce or respond to insulin.
The disease is far more common that type 1, affecting just under half a billion people worldwide, but its exact causes are still vague. Researchers have identified genetic and environmental factors, but there is still a lot to learn about how many people develop the condition.
Toxic clumps of misfolded proteins similar to those in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease have previously been associated with type 2 diabetes. But finding a link isn't the same thing as identifying a cause, so researchers have now taken a closer look at the amyloid proteins in the pancreas to trace their pathology.
Proteins such as IAPP can twist into forms that are more likely to clump as a result of mutations, which has al Continue reading

Why Eating More of This High-Fiber Food May Lower Your Diabetes Risk

Researchers have identified yet another way pulses can boost your health. Here's how to add more lentils, beans, and chickpeas to your diet.
Pulses are trending big time. That includes all types of beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas. New products—from lentil chips to roasted chickpeas—are appearing on grocery story shelves, and desserts made with pulse flours and pureed pulses are all over Pinterest (black bean brownies, anyone?). There's a lot to love about pulses: They're gluten-free and eco-friendly, and loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. And now, there's another reason to add more pulses to your diet: Recent research suggests they might help you stave off type 2 diabetes.
A new study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition tracked more than 3,300 adults who were at high risk of heart disease for four years. Researchers found that compared to those with a low intake of pulses (12.73 grams/day, or about 1.5 servings/week), those with a higher consumption (28.75 grams/day, equivalent to 3.35 servings/week) had a 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study also showed that participants who substituted half a serving of pulses a day for a similar serving of eggs, bread, rice, or baked potato had a lower incidence of diabetes.
The health protection that pulses offer may be related to several factors. In addition to being rich in B vitamins and minerals (including calcium, potassium and magnesium), pulses have a unique macronutrient makeup: The protein, fiber, and carbohydrates that pulses pack help to slow digestion. This extends the feeling of fulln Continue reading