• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Prediabetes Does Newcastle diet 'cure' diabetes or just control it ?

B

Begonia

Well-Known Member
Messages
120
Location
Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
I have been on LCHF for about 5 months now (about 35-50g carbs). The aim was to bring blood sugar down in order to help neuropathy symptoms. This has worked pretty well. I don't need to lose any more weight, just want to keep blood sugar low and stable. I'd like to increase my carbs a bit to say 70g, but I'm finding if I introduce new foods my blood sugar tends to spike. I've invested in a Freestyle libre so can monitor it very closely as I test different foods. Just wondering whether I will need to be pretty low carb for life, or whether I should look at the Newcastle diet. Does the Newcastle diet actually cure diabetes/prediabetes ? Or is it just the dramatic weight loss that brings blood sugar down ?
 
The Newcastle diet affects people in different ways, but is mainly a weight loss diet. It is only 800 calories a day. Some people have lost a lot of weight. Some people have found it puts diabetes in remission. Some people find it doesn't. Whatever the effect, once the 8 weeks are over it is necessary to maintain a diabetes friendly diet or run the risk of weight gain and higher BS levels.

Perhaps 5 months on LCHF isn't long enough for you. It takes some people longer than others. I have been on LCHF for over 3 years and have no weight to lose but only recently can I introduce a new carb with little effect on BS (and in smaller portions than "normal".) My current experiment is with baked beans with a fry up.
 
Hi @Bluetit1802 ,
So it sounds like you mean people tend to get less sensitive to carbs after being on LCHF for a longer period ? I didn't realise that was likely to happen. I thought the LCHF was a way of controlling blood sugar rather than helping with the underlying condition.
That is encouraging. Thanks I'll persevere.
 

It is more a question of getting rid of any insulin resistance. Once that has gone completely you have more chance of increasing carbs (but carefully). Whilst we have insulin resistance we will always be sensitive to carbs and need to keep them low. Keeping carbs low means less glucose in the blood stream, therefore less insulin floating about, and therefore there should be less resistance. Increasing carbs and therefore needing more insulin to cope with the extra glucose is likely to increase the resistance.
 

Baked beans - Yum...
 
Begonia said:
I'd like to increase my carbs a bit to say 70g, but I'm finding if I introduce new foods my blood sugar tends to spike
Click to expand...
You may be experiencing the last meal effect. Your pancreas not being prepared for the additional carbs causing the spike. Slowly and carefully should get you where you want to be without spikes.
 
Whilst the Newcastle diet will help I've never been impressed by it's research approach and I suspect the main value in the calorie restriction is in the carb not the fat reduction. I prefer the low-carb approach as the carbs are our biggest problem. So don't worry about calories and keep the carbs down. If your blood sugar is still difficult to control and your BMI is in a good region then suspect Late onset T1 and get the right tests done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…