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- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
So I went along to the talk mentioned earlier on here in Newcastle this evening. Firstly, Roy Taylor is well worth listening to speak even if you don't buy his theory as he is an engaging speaker with a way of making a complicated subject available to a diverse audience.
Basically the talk covered an explanation of the development of type 2, with the loss of up to 50% beta cells by diagnosis which may have occurred over up to 20 years ( although the final fall into diabetic range is rapid and takes about 18 months) fuelled by two viscious cycles in the liver and pancreas involving fat storage and insulin resistance ( this bit was a bit scientific for me but that was the gist of it) as excess calories converted to fat in liver and stored and also deposited in pancreas thus screwing up its ability to deal with glucose in the blood plasma , leading to the rise we see in blood sugar levels. He showed a few slides of the MRI stuff that he uses to look at liver and pancreatic fat levels - about 5% is normal and some dieters went down to 2%
He then looked at how he'd seen the effects of bariatic surgery on BS levels and set out to replicate it with diet.
Points that came out of this were that a VLC diet had a rapid effect on normalising blood glucose levels with people dropping to normal fasting levels within days.
That some consequences of diabetes such as minor retinopathy and CVD were reversed or reduced by this reversal.
That about 2/3rds of people saw reversal. The rest had measurably better BG levels though not reversed.
Initial group had all been diagnosed for less than five years. Subsequent research has focused on long term type2s. Best results found in those under about 6 yrs.
new research being funded by DUK to roll out program in surgeries matched against controls to see of it could be a first line "treatment'
He showed photographs of street scenes from Newcastle from about 40 yrs ago and now and showed graphs to show how the BMI curve has shifted with more people obese and more people in higher range than in a generation earlier. So more people run risk of triggering type 2 if genetically susceptible. This led into a discussion of what he thinks is fundamental issue regarding type 2- namely that of personal fat threshold which he said explains why some folk can have an acceptable BMI but still be diabetic and some fatties never get it. The aim then of his protocol is to get below your PFT and stay there to lower BG and possibly reverse diabetes.
He didn't go into anything about beta cell regeneration which I know has been mentioned on here so reversal is maybe too strong a word and maybe extending life of remaining beta cells through halting the two vicious metabolic cycles maybe be a more long winded way of naming it? The jury is out on that I guess.
There were only a few questions as time was short. What came out there was that going on VLC not essential - just losing the weight to go below PFT is what matters, though of course the quicker it is done the better for the benefits of low blood glucose levels - so he was ok when someone suggested the 5:2 diet as an option. He also said that just cutting calories was ok.. By ditching carbs, reducing meat intake by about 2/3rds and eating loads of veg. He suggested there wasn't a one size diet for all, but did say that more people would lose weight low carbing than low fat dieting. 15kg seems to be about the average magical loss that his group had to reverse diabetes though the loss needed is proportional to starting point. I guess the VLC has the benefit of being quick and finite whereas your GP saying lose weight may not be enough for some folk to do it in time. Also exercise to keep weight stable and other health benefits but it won't lose you enough weight if you are middle aged and very fat! Also he acknowledged that statins increase BS and may push you into diabetic range if already on path but that we should be on them once diagnosed ( I smell some funding there)
So all in all an interesting talk and food for thought.
Basically the talk covered an explanation of the development of type 2, with the loss of up to 50% beta cells by diagnosis which may have occurred over up to 20 years ( although the final fall into diabetic range is rapid and takes about 18 months) fuelled by two viscious cycles in the liver and pancreas involving fat storage and insulin resistance ( this bit was a bit scientific for me but that was the gist of it) as excess calories converted to fat in liver and stored and also deposited in pancreas thus screwing up its ability to deal with glucose in the blood plasma , leading to the rise we see in blood sugar levels. He showed a few slides of the MRI stuff that he uses to look at liver and pancreatic fat levels - about 5% is normal and some dieters went down to 2%
He then looked at how he'd seen the effects of bariatic surgery on BS levels and set out to replicate it with diet.
Points that came out of this were that a VLC diet had a rapid effect on normalising blood glucose levels with people dropping to normal fasting levels within days.
That some consequences of diabetes such as minor retinopathy and CVD were reversed or reduced by this reversal.
That about 2/3rds of people saw reversal. The rest had measurably better BG levels though not reversed.
Initial group had all been diagnosed for less than five years. Subsequent research has focused on long term type2s. Best results found in those under about 6 yrs.
new research being funded by DUK to roll out program in surgeries matched against controls to see of it could be a first line "treatment'
He showed photographs of street scenes from Newcastle from about 40 yrs ago and now and showed graphs to show how the BMI curve has shifted with more people obese and more people in higher range than in a generation earlier. So more people run risk of triggering type 2 if genetically susceptible. This led into a discussion of what he thinks is fundamental issue regarding type 2- namely that of personal fat threshold which he said explains why some folk can have an acceptable BMI but still be diabetic and some fatties never get it. The aim then of his protocol is to get below your PFT and stay there to lower BG and possibly reverse diabetes.
He didn't go into anything about beta cell regeneration which I know has been mentioned on here so reversal is maybe too strong a word and maybe extending life of remaining beta cells through halting the two vicious metabolic cycles maybe be a more long winded way of naming it? The jury is out on that I guess.
There were only a few questions as time was short. What came out there was that going on VLC not essential - just losing the weight to go below PFT is what matters, though of course the quicker it is done the better for the benefits of low blood glucose levels - so he was ok when someone suggested the 5:2 diet as an option. He also said that just cutting calories was ok.. By ditching carbs, reducing meat intake by about 2/3rds and eating loads of veg. He suggested there wasn't a one size diet for all, but did say that more people would lose weight low carbing than low fat dieting. 15kg seems to be about the average magical loss that his group had to reverse diabetes though the loss needed is proportional to starting point. I guess the VLC has the benefit of being quick and finite whereas your GP saying lose weight may not be enough for some folk to do it in time. Also exercise to keep weight stable and other health benefits but it won't lose you enough weight if you are middle aged and very fat! Also he acknowledged that statins increase BS and may push you into diabetic range if already on path but that we should be on them once diagnosed ( I smell some funding there)
So all in all an interesting talk and food for thought.
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