Experts and politicians have come together to discuss how eating low carb, real food can help treat or reverse type 2 diabetes.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Dr Aseem Malhotra, NHS Consultant Cardiologist, Professor of Evidence Based Medicine, met to discuss the fastest-growing health epidemic that is gripping the UK.
Dr Malhotra, who wrote The Pioppi Diet, said they discussed “dietary misinformation” and how he believes following a low carb diet could be the answer to reversing the condition commonly associated to poor lifestyle.
The Pioppi diet encourages eating plenty of vegetables, nuts and fish, but discourages starchy carbs and sweet treats, similar to a Mediterranean diet.
Dr Malhotra tweeted: “I explained we have an imbalance in #NHS of too much medicine ¬ enough lifestyle intervention causing misery to millions. He understands &wants to help fix our broken system. #obesity”
Honoured to be invited to meet the Secretary of State for health @MattHancock yesterday. I explained we have an imbalance in #NHS of too much medicine ¬ enough lifestyle intervention causing misery to millions. He understands &wants to help fix our broken system. #obesity pic.twitter.com/1OoqMzl9xx— Dr Aseem Malhotra (@DrAseemMalhotra) February 27, 2019
Straight after the meeting with the politicia, he presented at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Diabetes, alongside Dr Zoë Harcombe, who is an obesity researcher, blogger and public speaker.
He told attendees at the House of Commons that the combined cost of type 2 diabetes for the NHS is now £20 billion a year and how the key to alleviating the issue is to “practise evidence-based medicine”.
Dr Malhotra also presented his data on the evolving science of the understanding of heart disease and what lifestyle changes can be implemented to significantly reduce its risk.
In addition, the meeting looked at current evidence there is on how to manage and potentially reverse type 2 diabetes through a low carbohydrate diet and what policy makers can do to help.
Labour’s Deputy Leader Tom Watson also spoke, explaining how he put his type 2 diabetes into remission through diet and exercise after ditching junk food, starchy carbohydrates and refined sugar.
On Twitter he said: “Tonight I’ve been talking to @APPG_Diabetes about losing over 100lbs in weight through changing my diet and fitness regimen, and how this has made me determined to reverse the epidemic of type 2 diabetes cases.”
Dr David Unwin, medical advisor to Diabetes Digital Media (DDM), presented his own sugar infographics to the Health Secretary. He tweeted: “Matt completely understood the importance of the glycaemic index in Type 2 Diabetes. Starch is sugar too. Thankyou. #HOPE”
DDM’s award-winning Low Carb Program was also mentioned during the APPG meeting, where several people paid tribute to the initiative saying it helped them treat their type 2 diabetes and even put it into remission.
