Dear John,
You have done very well indeed to lose over 2 stones in the 7 weeks. The blood glucose numbers you report suggest that you have normal blood glucose control at present. However, this is during the continuing weight loss. For most people, weight loss of 15% (about 2st 10 lb for you) which is maintained in the long term will achieve reversal of diabetes.
You ask about the raised ALT, and this is a simple matter. The ALT rises due to the excess fat in the liver. If the fatty liver continues, there is a chance of developing cirrhosis. However, at the early stage it is entirely reversible. We observe the raised ALT returning to normal with weight loss. For a person in your situation I would recommend that you continue to lose weight to your target, or at least to lose 2st 10 lb, then ask your GP to re-measure both ALT and HbA1c. It may be useful to print out and take this email with you to show your doctor. Do bear in mind that I can only provide information, and your GP will give you personal medical advice.
I hope these points are helpful.
Yours sincerely,
RT
*************************************
Roy Taylor
Professor of Medicine and Metabolism
Director, Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre
Newcastle University
Campus for Ageing & Vitality
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 5PL
0191-248-1172 or 1152
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres
_____________________________________________
Dear Doctors,
Please forgive my “copy all” email approach, but I have some recent personal experience of a dramatic change or reversal in average & fasting blood glucose levels over the past 7 weeks (since I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic 7 weeks ago). I have achieved this, I believe, due to self initiated rapid weight loss. I hope you find it of interest.
As I mentioned above, I myself was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes just 7 weeks ago. I’m male, aged 37, 5ft 8 inch tall. At the time of diagnoses, I weighed 18 stone 5lbs. I desperately wanted to tackle / reduce the onset of diabetes myself via diet and exercise, and so I rejected my GP’s suggestion of starting Metformin. Admittedly, I “overdid” it diet-wise / exercise-wise over the last 7 weeks …… I went on a very restricted low carb low fat diet (self initiated) and hit my home electric treadmill 2 or 3 times a day. I have lost 2 stone 3lbs in the last 6 weeks to now weigh 16 stone 2lbs. I felt ill during this time (hence my “I overdid it” comment) and felt really weak, light headed, ill and woozy, but my blood glucose readings have come down from 11-15 mmol/L postprandial, to typically 6-7.5 mmol/L postprandial after the weight loss. In the last 2 weeks my fasting overnight readings (first thing in the morning when waking up) are now at 4.5 – 5.2 mmol/L. My GP has noted that my liver ALT levels are 122 at the moment (and AST of 56) …. however I’ve no real way of knowing what these figures were prior to my diabetes diagnoses. Can you suggest if there is there anything I can request from my GP to measure whether this raised ALT level in particular is actually reducing as I lose weight and continue to maintain good blood glucose control ?
During self research online in these past few days, I have stumbled onto the research at
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/di ... versal.htm with great interest (i.e. the findings of particular interest was that people who have had type 2 diabetes for 4 years or less can see reversal when major weight loss occurs). I was delighted to see that the conclusions you had to come to with your research has seemingly mirrored my findings over the last 7 weeks since I was diagnosed. Though in my case, I was not aware of your research and it’s successes during the time I was losing lots of weight.
I am fully determined to continue with the weight loss as I know this will be beneficial in the long run for my all round health, and hopefully to also be beneficial in “my battle” with my Type 2 diabetes.
Please consider including me in any of your future studies / tests with regards this incredible line of research that you are carrying out – I’d be happy to give you more details as / when you need it. My contact details are below in my email signature – please feel free to contact me via any method.
Finally, do you have any further research and / or documents that I could read since you initially did this research? I would dearly love to see any further information that you may have that may help me.
Yours sincerely,
John Fitzpatrick
Email:
johnlfitz@gmail.com
P.S. How can I convince my GP to prescribe me with home blood glucose strips so that I can monitor my blood glucose levels? I have been buying the strips myself for my home glucose monitor – but without these I would not have been able to see the results I’ve now gotten??