Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is characterised by the body being unable to metabolise glucose (a simple sugar). This means your blood glucose (sugar) levels keep rising, which over time may damage the organs of the body.
What is Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that results in hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose levels) due to the body:
- Being ineffective at using the insulin it has produced; also known as insulin resistance and/or
- Being unable to produce enough insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is characterised by the body being unable to metabolise glucose (a simple sugar). This means your blood glucose (sugar) levels keep rising, which over time may damage the organs of the body.
Around 90% of people with diabetes in the UK have type 2. It is a serious condition and can be lifelong.
If left untreated, high sugar levels in your blood can seriously damage parts of your body, including your eyes, heart and feet. These are called the complications of diabetes. But with the right treatment and care, you can reverse your diabetes, live well and reduce your risk of developing it again.
Causes
The most common cause of type 2 diabetes is obesity-related, which generally follows a vicious cycle pattern:
- Diet high in calories – particularly if high in refined carbohydrates.
- Insulin levels in the bloodstream rise to cope with the high – and quick-acting carb intake.
- Weight is gained around the belly (central or truncal obesity).
- Consistently high insulin levels lead to the body’s cells becoming resistant to insulin and commonly lead to weight gain.
- High insulin levels also increase weight gain.
- Insulin resistance leads to an increase in blood sugar levels, particularly after meals.
- The pancreas produces more insulin to cope with rising blood sugar levels
- High sugar levels lead to feelings of lethargy and high insulin levels lead to increased hunger.
- Hunger often leads to overeating and lethargy, with less physical activity being taken.
- Overeating, less activity and high insulin levels all lead to further weight gain and more insulin resistance.
- Consistently high demand on the pancreas to produce extra insulin leads to damage of the pancreas’ insulin-producing beta cells.
- Beta cell damage results in the body struggling to produce enough insulin, and steeper rises in blood sugar levels leads to more recognisable symptoms of diabetes, such as thirst and a frequent need to urinate
Reversing Diabetes
Reversing diabetes refers to a significant long-term improvement in insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.
People with type 2 diabetes that are able to get their HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6%) without taking diabetes medication are said to have reversed or resolved their diabetes. This is also known as putting diabetes into remission.
Loss of body weight can be particularly beneficial in helping to reverse the progression of diabetes.
With understanding, support and dedication, type 2 diabetes can be reversed, and the results can be very rewarding, with less tiredness and better all-round health.
To achieve this with lasting results guided lifestyle changes will need to be made as part of your tailored Lifestyle Change Program.
Treatments
To reverse diabetes, you need to be able to break this cycle by taking the strain off your insulin-producing cells.
Research indicates that effective ways to reverse diabetes include:
- Low-carbohydrate diets
- Very low calorie diets
- Exercise
- Lifestyle Change
Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Low-carbohydrate diets are known for lowering the amount of insulin the body needs to produce, resulting in less insulin resistance.
A study published in 2014 by the Second University of Naples showed that a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet was able to achieve significant rates of remission in people with type 2 diabetes. After one year of following the diet, 15% of participants achieved remission and, after six years, 5% had achieved remission on the diet – a stunning achievement.
By comparison, low-fat diets were not as effective in the study. After one year, 4% of participants on a low-fat diet had achieved remission and, after six years, 0% of participants had achieved remission.
At Mi Healthcare we combine Lifestyle Change with low carbohydrate diets to accelerate the process and produce consistent results with type 2 diabetes reversal. Programs may vary based on individual circumstances, but the outcome is the same which we pride ourselves on achieving for our clients.
Very Low-Calorie Diets
Very-low-calorie diets (VLCD) have been shown to achieve significant weight loss, reduce insulin resistance and allow people with type 2 diabetes to come off their diabetes medication.
In 2011, a study was published by researchers at Newcastle University showing that an 8-week 800 kcal per day diet was able to achieve remission from diabetes in seven of the 11 participants that took part. The diet included around 600 kcal from meal shakes and around a further 200 kcal from non-starchy vegetables.
The trial used MRI scans and showed that the reversal of diabetes appeared to be correlated with significant reductions in fat storage within the liver and pancreas.
Currently, Newcastle University are running a study involving 32 participants. The participants were put on a similar diet for a similar length of time and then followed a low calorie weight maintenance diet.
The participants will be reviewed for at least two years to see how many of the participants can maintain diabetes remission over this period.
Initial results have shown that 40% of participants have achieved and maintained remission from type 2 diabetes six months after completing the program.
A VLCD is regarded as an extreme form of diet and therefore should only be considered in extreme cases, where it is safe to do so and only under the strict guidance of a skilled health professional.
In addition to the results seen in clinical trials, a number of anecdotal reports from independent patients have shown VLCDs to be successful at reversing diabetes to varying degrees.
At Mi Healthcare we focus on modifying and improving lifestyle habits along with dietary changes built around the principles of healthy eating and ingesting foods that support metabolic homeostasis. This way, results achieved are lasting, well understood and able to be maintained.
Testimonials
I had stopped taking my medication, was feeling really sluggish and constantly tired, but desperately wanted to get my diabetes and blood pressure controlled via natural methods. A friend recommended me to see Erran so I booked an appointment and had my scan at the Bromley office. He didn’t have the 2nd office in Thornton Heath yet otherwise I would’ve happily gone there. I have since completed the reset program and lost a stone in weight, brought my blood pressure right down, got my diabetes under control plus I’m no longer tired all the time.
Before I started the Ultimate Reset Program my blood sugar levels were always in double figures between 19 and 22. I had been on medication for over 10 years. Within the first phase of the Reset program it came down to normal levels between 4 and 7 where they have remained ever since. Even my Doctor couldn’t believe how low my blood sugar levels had come down to! She told me to come back in 6 months which I did and the results were still the same, there was no trace of diabetes in my system. She could not understand and kept asking me what I had done.
When I did my initial scan and consultation, I will never forget the practitioner telling me that my blood sugar will be at 6 within a couple of weeks. This stuck with me because I had been trying to get it below 10 using medication for the last 10 years. When it did come down exactly as stated I was shocked and ecstatic as the prospect of life without medication. I lost over a stone in the first phase and my arthritis which I had not mentioned during my consultation also cleared up. I completed the Step 3 Total Reset Program, look and feel 10 years younger and have recommended all of my friends and family who have all experienced similar results. I now have a new attitude towards eating, hydration and health in general and am so grateful to this program, Erran and the Mi Healthcare team.
After completing the step 3 total body reset program, I attended my diabetes prevention clinic. On that day they were checking blood, so I had mine checked and they told me everything had returned to normal, but I shouldn’t go out and celebrate just yet. I also checked my blood pressure via my GP and was told the same thing. I have since been back months later to check both again and the results are still the same. If you are suffering with diabetes or high blood pressure I highly recommend this program. The results really do speak for themselves.
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