Low Carb Diet Saves NHS £4m In Diabetes Costs

Low carb diet saves NHS £4m in diabetes costs

The support being offered by an online low carb programme has so far saved the NHS £4 million in deprescription costs, it was revealed yesterday.
The free Low Carb Program by the UK’s biggest and fastest growing diabetes patient forum Diabetes.co.uk has so far helped more than 160,000 people since it was launched on World Diabetes Day 2015.
Speaking at the EHI Live event in Birmingham, Arjun Panesar, chief technology officer of the platform, outlined how the programme worked and shared some of the results they have seen from people who have followed it.
He said: “The results from have been impressive and this a solution that is clearly working for people with type 2 diabetes. We’re in the process of documenting the preliminary results with healthcare savings. We intend to share this with PHE/Diabetes UK for them to review the guidelines.”
He said also the estimated saving involved people stopping their prescriptions for drugs to treat type 2 diabetes and the predicted cost was conservative.
The programme takes people through the theory and also provides the practical application on how to implement a low carb lifestyle.
Diabetes.co.uk was the first community forum where people were able to openly share their experiences or discuss life with diabetes including low carb lifestyles due to the fact that the diet sits outside of NICE guidelines which meant other platforms discouraged or removed their conversations.
However, there is now growing medical evidence that type 2 diabetes can be reversed through diet and lifestyle changes.
Results from the Low Carb Education P Continue reading

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End of daily injections for diabetes as scientists restore insulin production

The end of daily injections for diabetes sufferers could be in sight after scientists showed it is possible to restore insulin production for up to a year by boosting the immune system.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain suffer from Type 1 diabetes and need to inject themselves daily to keep blood sugar levels under control.
The disease attacks insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. Healthy people have billions of ‘peacekeeping’ cells called ‘T-regs’ which protect insulin-making cells from the immune system but people suffering Type 1 diabetes do not have enough.
"The T-reg intervention frees people like me from the daily grind of insulin therapy and lifelong fear of complication"
Mary Rooney, Type 1 diabetes patient
Now researchers at the University of California and Yale have shown that the ‘T-regs’ can be removed from the body, increased by 1,500x in the laboratory and infused back into the bloodstream to restore normal function.
An initial trial of 14 people has shown that the therapy is safe, and can last up to a year.
"This could be a game-changer," said Dr Jeffrey Bluestone, Professor in Metabolism and Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
“By using T-regs to 're-educate' the immune system, we may be able to really change the course of this disease.
"We expect T-regs to be an important part of diabetes therapy in the future."
Sufferes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes may have to inject insulin daily Photo: Alamy
The treatment also prevents the disease progressing which could save sufferers from blindness and amputat Continue reading

Probiotics And Diabetes: What Amazing New Research Reveals

Diabetes is a dietary and digestive disorder. Clearly, it’s about elevated blood sugar levels. But hey, it’s also more than that. The food we eat feeds the bacteria in our gut. Eat too many carbs/processed foods and you feed the wrong bacteria. Often, diabetics get the disease by doing exactly that. Too much sugar simply translates into the overgrowth of bad bacteria (like yeast). So, it comes as no surprise that probiotics (good gut bacteria) and diabetes are closely linked.
Direct Impact Of Probiotics On Diabetes
Probiotics play a huge role in digestion. Many of us are ignorant about the importance and benefits of probiotics. Probiotics, or good gut bacteria, should ideally comprise at least 80% of the total gut bacteria. If you are diabetic, adding probiotics, as either food or supplements, can change things dramatically. Of course, you also need to eat the right diet to feed the right bacteria after that. Some of the best probiotics for diabetics modify disturbances in their metabolisms positively. There is strong scientific evidence supporting the fact that consuming probiotics helps decrease the serum cholesterol level and improves insulin sensitivity.
RELATED: Meditation And Type 2 Diabetes
Probiotics and Diabetes: The Science Behind It
How does probiotics help diabetics? Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in correct dosages and form, give you a ton of health benefits. Probiotic supplements have been proven to have positive effects on cardio-metabolic parameters in patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
According to research conducted at Loughbor Continue reading

Daddy Has Diabetes

When I first started dating my husband, he gravely said that he had something he needed to tell me. I prepared myself for a scene out of a comedy about people who meet online. He’d probably tell me that he had just gotten out of prison for robbing a pet store.
Instead he told me that he had Type 1 Diabetes. Insert huge sigh of relief. That I could deal with. And that is the only time that diabetes would mean a sigh of relief.
Through dating and early marriage we had our highs and lows with diabetes (pun intended). We got the hang of it. I learned how to not micromanage his life (too much) and he learned to give me the information I needed. I learned how to gently suggest that he check his blood sugar and he learned to trust me. I learned that blood glucose test strips have a way of showing up everywhere (literally everywhere).
The birth of our daughter changed the tone. Diabetes wasn’t something that sat at the edge of our marriage. It was an integral part of our family. We had to plan for it and live with it and learn how to teach a tiny human about it.
Observance of the world around her led to an early knowledge of what it means to test blood sugar, how to fill an insulin pump or change a continuous glucose monitor. American Girl came out with a diabetes kit for the dolls and we quickly purchased one for our doll-obsessed daughter so we could normalize diabetes in her life. Normal in our house means dolls – even dolls that prick their fingers and give themselves insulin shots. And even though I realize this is normal, I didn’t expect the question that came when ou Continue reading

9 Things You Never Knew About Type 2 Diabetes

A big baby can cause more than a difficult labor
According to the Joslin Diabetes Center, giving birth to a baby nine pounds or larger puts you at a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes tend to put on more weight during pregnancy and give birth to larger babies, but a baby of above average weight is a risk factor with or without gestational diabetes. (These are the symptoms of gestational diabetes to watch out for.)
Most cases of type 2 diabetes can be reversed
A little-known fact about this kind of diabetes is that most cases are treatable. "The biggest misconception is that type 2 diabetes should simply be managed," says Joel Kahn, MD, founder of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity and owner of GreenSpace Cafe. "But my goal with these patients is to reverse and eliminate their diabetic state through whole food, plant-based, low-fat diets, exercise, and supplements leading to weight control." He adds that this approach really works for many of his patients and that "it's better to be an ex-type 2 diabetic than a well-managed one." These are the superfoods that are great for diabetics.
Genetics play a (supporting) role
Just as with several other diseases and conditions, genetics can contribute to type 2 diabetes risk. Even if a close family member has type 2 diabetes, you may not suffer the same fate. Type 2 diabetes has a greater connection to diet and lifestyle than family history, although having a sibling or parent with the disease does increase your chances. These health breakthroughs can help stop type 2 diab Continue reading