HbA1c down from 75 to 37!

zand

Master
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10,784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Yippee indeed! Well done, your hard work has paid off :)
 

Tophat1900

Well-Known Member
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2,407
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Type 3c
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Other
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Uncooked bacon
Yet another great success story, congrats on the results!
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Brilliant news! Well done! Keep up the good work!
 

bulkbiker

BANNED
Messages
19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Excellent news well done indeed.

Control over your own health is a powerful tool.
 

ianf0ster

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Staff Member
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2,399
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
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Diet only
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exercise, phone calls
Congrats @Trikerider.

Apologies for taking thread slightly off course:

@alexco
Unfortunately though all T2's are Insulin Resistant, we are all quite different in how we process Carbohydrates. Thus what works well for one person may not be at all appropriate for another.
There are 3 proven methods to gain remission of T2D:
1. Low Carb way of eating (not necessarily a Calorie restriction).
2. Restricted Eating period also called Intermittent Fasting (IF) or 16:8.
3. Severe Calorie restriction by:
A). Longer term fasting.
B). Crash diet e.g. Newcastle diet or Dr Michael Mosely's 'Blood Sugar' diet.
C). Bariatric Surgery.

If you want to ask more questions, then please start your own thread.
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I remember the first two tests after diagnosis very well. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry - so I did both.
 
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DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
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Diet only
Congrats @Trikerider.

Apologies for taking thread slightly off course:

@alexco
  • Unfortunately though all T2's are Insulin Resistant, we are all quite different in how we process Carbohydrates. Thus what works well for one person may not be at all appropriate for another.
There are 3 proven methods to gain remission of T2D:
1. Low Carb way of eating (not necessarily a Calorie restriction).
2. Restricted Eating period also called Intermittent Fasting (IF) or 16:8.
3. Severe Calorie restriction by:
A). Longer term fasting.
B). Crash diet e.g. Newcastle diet or Dr Michael Mosely's 'Blood Sugar' diet.
C). Bariatric Surgery.

If you want to ask more questions, then please start your own thread.


I hate to be picky Ian, but you make definite statements that aren't necessarily so. In the order of your post:
  • "Unfortunately though all T2's are Insulin Resistant,"
Not all T2s are insulin resistant, although I would agree the vast majority are. There are those who are insulin sensitive, but just don't generate enough to cope with their chosen diet. It could be that over time, dependent on the tests done, they may be reclassified, but they are out there.

  • "There are 3 proven methods to gain remission of T2D"
If it were true that one of those three methods would resolve T2, there would be far fewer T2s, even already at these early days of understanding the metabolic syndrome.

1. Low Carb way of eating (not necessarily a Calorie restriction).
This site's Low Carb Programme's published data cites c40% into "remission", if I recall. Longer terms rates are awaited, as they become available.
2. Restricted Eating period also called Intermittent Fasting (IF) or 16:8.
I haven't seen any stats for this, although that could be because although I do eat in a window facilitating a slightly extended fasting period, it has never been a targeted tool by myself. If you have published stats for that, I'd be interested to read them.

3. Severe Calorie restriction by:
A). Longer term fasting - I have no idea what the stats say about that, but I doubt it's 100%, except those who fast until expiry.
B). Crash diet e.g. Newcastle diet - Professor Taylor's work, from memory returns a remission rate of c36%,from memory, with longer terms rates awaited
C). Bariatric Surgery - I don't believe bariatric surgery cures everyone, else we'd all have gone onto the waiting lists somewhat pronto?

If you have stats for 100% or near 100% success rates, I'd be interested to read the papers supporting the numbers.
 

ianf0ster

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,399
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
exercise, phone calls
@DCUKMod,
I apologise for my loose use of terms. I did not mean that all the methods I outline work for all Type 2's. Just that they are all proven to work for some Type 2's - which is something that no drug can do, because all the drugs can do is to treat the symptoms.

I would consider diabetics who are Insulin Sensitive but whose pancreas doesn't produce enough Insulin for a reasonable diet to be 'Pre-Type 1 or LADA rather than Type 2 diabetics though this may not be the correct medical term. When I asked my Diabetic Specialist GP upon my diagnosis about insulin production (bearing in mind that my Insulin levels were never tested), he said I was >95% certainly Insulin Resistant. So I assumed that this would be the case for other Type 2's.


I don't have the figures at hand for the latest studies for the methods I outlined, however from recollection they are all pretty good initially. The question marks are around the edges - such as:
Which definition of 'remission' is used - HbA1C down into the pre-diabetic range or all the way down into the normal range? On zero diabetes medications or is Metformin allowed? Over how long does the lowered HbA1C need to be held before it is considered to be remission?

My understanding is that the effectiveness of the methods is not in dispute - merely the compliance rate (or in the case of Bariatric Surgery the degree of trying to 'cheat'). RCTs are pretty much impossible for lifestyle interventions, so many establishment figures will dismiss studies out of hand.

1. LC(HF): Dr Unwin's most recent figures appear to show between 40% and 50% in remission at the 2yr mark. I believe that Virta Health in the USA get even better figures, though their patients are more probably fully invested in LCHF than with Dr Unwin's more gentle casual approach.

2. Time Restricted Eating: I don't recall any stats on people who used this method exclusively, but have seen videos by medical professionals who claimed it to be as effective as Low Carb (due to the extended period of avoiding carb intake). That would make sense, since carbs too high drive high Insulin which drives body fat storage and inhibits use of body fat as fuel etc.

3. A). Dr Jason Fung's first patients were being treated for Kidney disease and Morbid Obesity rather than diabetes. In his first book he quoted only a small number of patients who were mainly from the poorer sections of society in Toronto and so couldn't afford healthy low carb vegetables. His methods are only applicable to those who have a lot of stored body fat, but it is reported both by him and many others that once past the first few days, the longer fasting becomes easier and easier as the energy levels increase. But as a TOFI I have not investigated this in depth.

B). This article in the Lancet suggests that the latest DIRECT figures show a 46% remission rate.:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)33102-1/fulltext
(edited to include link).

C). Bariatric surgery (I think there are 3 or more different possible procedures in use) is primarily used in the treatment of Morbid Obesity rather than Diabetes. However I recall proponents saying that the initial success rate was extremely high c 80% and that Blood Glucose drops dramatically, well before any measurable weight loss. But that the success rates fell away fairly dramatically after 6 months or 1 yr, down to similar levels reported for Low Carb lifestyle interventions.


To conclude: In my view there is no reason (other than the recalcitrance of the medical establishment) why there are not already far fewer Type 2's.
 
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jjraak

Expert
Messages
7,442
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I hate to be picky Ian, but you make definite statements that aren't necessarily so. In the order of your post:
  • "Unfortunately though all T2's are Insulin Resistant,"
Not all T2s are insulin resistant, although I would agree the vast majority are. There are those who are insulin sensitive, but just don't generate enough to cope with their chosen diet. It could be that over time, dependent on the tests done, they may be reclassified, but they are out there.

  • "There are 3 proven methods to gain remission of T2D"
If it were true that one of those three methods would resolve T2, there would be far fewer T2s, even already at these early days of understanding the metabolic syndrome.

1. Low Carb way of eating (not necessarily a Calorie restriction).
This site's Low Carb Programme's published data cites c40% into "remission", if I recall. Longer terms rates are awaited, as they become available.
2. Restricted Eating period also called Intermittent Fasting (IF) or 16:8.
I haven't seen any stats for this, although that could be because although I do eat in a window facilitating a slightly extended fasting period, it has never been a targeted tool by myself. If you have published stats for that, I'd be interested to read them.

3. Severe Calorie restriction by:
A). Longer term fasting - I have no idea what the stats say about that, but I doubt it's 100%, except those who fast until expiry.
B). Crash diet e.g. Newcastle diet - Professor Taylor's work, from memory returns a remission rate of c36%,from memory, with longer terms rates awaited
C). Bariatric Surgery - I don't believe bariatric surgery cures everyone, else we'd all have gone onto the waiting lists somewhat pronto?

If you have stats for 100% or near 100% success rates, I'd be interested to read the papers supporting the numbers.

while i hear what you say. @DCUKMod
i do think @ianf0ster is pretty correct..ok NOT good enough and overly generalising

But i do note @alexco was enquiring whether a change of cooking oils might be sufficient
(Sorry if that was not the case, but was what i 'READ' into the posts.)

I believe @ianf0ster was simply illuminating the road, so to speak

as an aside, as some one who does have a nearish family member who did for diabetic and weight reason take the bariatric route.

it hasn't been all plain sailing as i am aware.
the one disease, has now been replaced by other concerns.
sure it doesn't happen to all, but as my sig says
"do as little TO the patient,
While doing as much FOR the patient
as Possible."

as much as that seems a worthy aim for doctors i think it also applies to patients,
why have surgery IF..and i stress IF..dietary changes can give similar or the same results over time.?
 

GGPFC

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Well done! I had a similar result with my last HBA1C - just shows low carb works!
 
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