Study Reveals How A Very Low Calorie Diet Can Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

Study reveals how a very low calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes

In a new study, a Yale-led research team uncovers how a very low calorie diet can rapidly reverse type 2 diabetes in animal models. If confirmed in people, the insight provides potential new drug targets for treating this common chronic disease, said the researchers.
The study is published in Cell Metabolism.
One in three Americans will develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, according to recent projections by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Reports indicate that the disease goes into remission in many patients who undergo bariatric weight-loss surgery, which significantly restricts caloric intake prior to clinically significant weight loss. The Yale-led team’s study focused on understanding the mechanisms by which caloric restriction rapidly reverses type 2 diabetes.
The research team investigated the effects of a very low calorie diet (VLCD), consisting of one-quarter the normal intake, on a rodent model of type 2 diabetes. Using a novel stable (naturally occurring) isotope approach, which they developed, the researchers tracked and calculated a number of metabolic processes that contribute to the increased glucose production by the liver. The method, known as PINTA, allowed the investigators to perform a comprehensive set of analyses of key metabolic fluxes within the liver that might contribute to insulin resistance and increased rates of glucose production by the liver — two key processes that cause increased blood-sugar concentrations in diabetes.
Using this approach the researchers pinpointed three major mechanisms responsible for the VLCD’s dramatic ef Continue reading

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12 Superfoods to Reverse Diabetes

If there’s a silver lining to having type 2 diabetes it’s that you can make a noticeable difference in your condition by the foods you eat each day. These foods have been identified as being some of the very best you can eat, and will not only provide help for your diabetes, but will support a healthy and active lifestyle that will help bring you to a healthy weight, if needed.
1. Kale
Much has been said about the virtue of kale in recent years, and it lives up to the hype. It provides a broad assortment of vitamins and minerals, is low in carbohydrates, and contains some protein as well. Try drinking green smoothies made with kale as a way to provide the body plenty of what it needs to function at its best.
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Using extra virgin olive oil as your oil of choice is a good switch to make when you have diabetes. It contains healthy monounsaturated fat that can help you lose weight, and does a better job of stabilizing blood sugar levels than eating a diet low in fat, or using other oils that do not contain healthy fat. Researchers in Spain have concluded that olive oil can help prevent diabetes, as well as limit the complications from it.
3. Apples
Diabetics should definitely heed the “apple a day” advice. This fruit seems specifically suited to help reduce the symptoms of diabetes, and keep blood sugar levels steady. They’ll provide the sweetness you’re wanting without causing complications, and the fiber they contain will help your digestion and keep you more fit.
4. Almonds
Almonds are the perfect snack and their crunchy, nutty taste will Continue reading

A New Drug May Be Able to Completely Reverse Diabetes

Scientists have used a new drug to reverse diabetes in mice. The drug inhibits the enzyme LMPTP, which contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes by weakening the body's sensitivity to the hormone.
Defining Diabetes
In the global community, the number of people with diabetes has been on the rise since 1980, with 422 million people diagnosed by 2014. The U.S. alone has experienced a substantial rise in the incidence of diabetes, with the number of Americans diagnosed increasing from 5.5 million in 1980, to 22 million in 2014—a more than 300 percent increase in less than 40 years.
A team of researchers, led by Stephanie Stanford at the University of California, San Diego, is proposing a solution in the form of a single pill that aims to restore insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body’s response to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating sugar in our blood, weakens. A number of genetic and lifestyle factors will influence whether or not someone develops this type of diabetes in their lifetime.
Up until now, drugs were unable to restore the insulin signaling function in diabetic patients — instead, they work by filtering out excess glucose in the blood that comes as a result of the dysfunction. The drug produced by Stanford’s team, on the other hand, hopes to restore function.
Restoring Function
The drug inhibits an enzyme called low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMPTP), which is suspected to contribute to the reduction in cell sensitivity to insulin. With reduced LMPTP activity, the drug reenables Continue reading

New diabetes treatment tops Cleveland Clinic's Top 10 Medical Innovations 2018 list (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An insulin pump that functions like an artificial pancreas ranked No. 1 on Cleveland Clinic's list of the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2018. The announcement of the entire list will be made Wednesday as part of the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit.
Other innovations being honored include gene therapy for blindness, new ways of creating vaccines and targeted breast cancer treatment. The insulin pump, which will help patients with Type 1 diabetes, was judged to be the innovation that will have the biggest impact on healthcare next year.
"This is a major breakthrough," said Dr. James Young, chairman of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
The pump senses blood glucose levels and delivers insulin via subcutaneous sensors, Young said.
This year, a 20-person committee looked at more than 300 nominated innovations to find ones that are likely to have the biggest immediate impact, said the Clinic's Dr. Michael Roizen, who will host a multi-media presentation of the Top 10 Medical Innovations. Roizen is chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and chief wellness officer.
Roizen is excited about the rapid development of new vaccines, and the development of new ways to deliver them, an innovation that earned a spot on the list. "It means really radical changes in vaccine prevention," Roizen said.
The presentation of the Top 10 Medical Innovations comes on the final day of the Medical Innovation Summit, which started Monday at the Huntington Convention Center.
Below, the Top 10 Medical Innovations of 2018 are list Continue reading

Stick to This Diet If You Want to Reverse Diabetes Risk Factors—or Avoid Them Completely

“Your blood sugar is too high. You have pre-diabetes.” When Gail Tudor heard her doctor say that in July last year, the 54-year-old U.K. wedding videographer was shocked. How could she? She had a normal body mass index of 24, and she followed the NHS-recommended diet low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables and healthy grains. Plus Gail, a mother of two who lives in Wales, was very active—skating, walking, kayaking, and more. Since she already did those things, her doctor said, it was unlikely she could reverse her path to Type 2 diabetes. She was offered a treatment plan including drugs, and was told that it was likely she’d need them for the rest of her life. “I couldn’t believe it,” Gail says. She determined to learn what else she could do to prevent diabetes from developing—without resorting to drugs. (Watch out for these diabetes symptoms that people typically miss.)
Retired engineer Frank Linnhoff, 69, who lives near Bordeaux, France, knew his obesity and his family history put him at high risk of T2 diabetes. His father died aged 70 from kidney failure caused by the disease; his brother had a leg amputated at 45 because of it. Diagnosed with pre-diabetes a number of years earlier, Linhoff had tried his best to follow his doctor’s advice on diet and exercise, but still his weight climbed.
In January 2015, he was feeling so poorly he went for a blood test at a medical laboratory. The results showed his fasting blood glucose was sky high. He knew if he went to the doctor he would be diagnosed with diabetes. “I was so shocked that I was up all night, Continue reading