- Messages
- 2
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
Type 2 Is there a cure
- Thread starter DiabeticDestruction
- Start Date
Art Of Flowers
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 956
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
There is no "cure", but many people can reverse type 2 diabetes using a LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) diet in a few months. This is where your HbA1C gets into the non-diabetic range (below 42).
Some people can get diabetes remission, but this usually involves extended very calorie diets (Newcastle etc) or intermittent fasting. Remission is where you can tolerate more carbs without significantly raising blood sugar.
Some people can get diabetes remission, but this usually involves extended very calorie diets (Newcastle etc) or intermittent fasting. Remission is where you can tolerate more carbs without significantly raising blood sugar.
There is no cure as yet but there are a variety of ways to control the effects of the disease - different approaches work for different people ( were all individuals and are more biologically diverse than we like to admit)
Some ways of eating etc can put blood sugars back into the normal range and will often keep them there if you continue to follow that way of eating and in that sense can be said to have put diabetes into remission; however a return to old eating habits will almost always see diabetes back with a vengance
You will probably not be able to get a meter and strips to test your blood sugar on the nhs (cost cutting) however many of us see buying your own and using it to test the impact different foods have on your blood sugars as one of the best health investments you can make - knowing what individual foods do to your body puts you back in control and lets you make informed choices about what to eat
Some ways of eating etc can put blood sugars back into the normal range and will often keep them there if you continue to follow that way of eating and in that sense can be said to have put diabetes into remission; however a return to old eating habits will almost always see diabetes back with a vengance
You will probably not be able to get a meter and strips to test your blood sugar on the nhs (cost cutting) however many of us see buying your own and using it to test the impact different foods have on your blood sugars as one of the best health investments you can make - knowing what individual foods do to your body puts you back in control and lets you make informed choices about what to eat
Last edited by a moderator:
Squire Fulwood
Expert
- Messages
- 6,107
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
There is no cure in the sense that you won't be thinking about it from now on but there are ways to control it which are quite effective. Stand by for a lifestyle change.
I will tag @daisy1 for you to get the newbie pack and I suggest you look at www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb which is free but you have to register. It gives you 10 lessons on low carb which are not boring since each lesson is quite short.
I will tag @daisy1 for you to get the newbie pack and I suggest you look at www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb which is free but you have to register. It gives you 10 lessons on low carb which are not boring since each lesson is quite short.
Your body is not good at coping with you eating a lot of carbohydrates, it did not cope with the carbohydrates well before your BG went out out control, it will still not like a lot of carbohydrates even when you get your BG under control. (Nothing about your body changed on the day the doctor said you had Type2.)
But once you have "turn round" your Type2 by eating few carbohydrates for some time and/or intermittent fastening, it is likely you will be able to sometimes each a few meals with a lot of carbohydrates without your BG going out of control.
But once you have "turn round" your Type2 by eating few carbohydrates for some time and/or intermittent fastening, it is likely you will be able to sometimes each a few meals with a lot of carbohydrates without your BG going out of control.
Resurgam
Expert
- Messages
- 9,868
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
Personally I prefer the foods that I eat now I am diabetic.
I prefer the fish to the batter coating and chips, the steak and mushrooms and tomato to the potatoes - If someone told me that I was no longer a diabetic and presented me with a plate of carby foods I would think myself very hard done by.
I prefer the fish to the batter coating and chips, the steak and mushrooms and tomato to the potatoes - If someone told me that I was no longer a diabetic and presented me with a plate of carby foods I would think myself very hard done by.
Mbaker
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,339
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Available fast foods in Supermarkets
For me the jury is out on what cure means. Does this mean being able to eat the myriad of scientifically created food which has only recently come into existence, e.g. is pasta "real" food or is it a construct built on refined ingredients.
On the other hand some including me think that going back to pre Ancel Keys legacy is where we generally should be, including portion size and frequency of eating. In some ways I think a psuedo cure is available, by making the choices of yester year. I for one will never eat modern breads, pasta, potatoes, rice; if you look at the history of say potatoes, we originally could not eat these, pasta is obviously made from flour, which is super concentrated. If you look at say fruit juice, should we really be juicing to the concentrated levels we do, or simply have the 1 to 1 ratio of a single fruit with the fibre (which again is nothing like the original).
A bit of a ramble but in short I believe we are setup to fail as how can you cure a condition almost all man / woman kind over steps the boundaries on every day. Standard "normal" meals send blood sugars and insulin levels soaring in non diabetics and even athletes become pre / diabetic - this for me says it all.
On the other hand some including me think that going back to pre Ancel Keys legacy is where we generally should be, including portion size and frequency of eating. In some ways I think a psuedo cure is available, by making the choices of yester year. I for one will never eat modern breads, pasta, potatoes, rice; if you look at the history of say potatoes, we originally could not eat these, pasta is obviously made from flour, which is super concentrated. If you look at say fruit juice, should we really be juicing to the concentrated levels we do, or simply have the 1 to 1 ratio of a single fruit with the fibre (which again is nothing like the original).
A bit of a ramble but in short I believe we are setup to fail as how can you cure a condition almost all man / woman kind over steps the boundaries on every day. Standard "normal" meals send blood sugars and insulin levels soaring in non diabetics and even athletes become pre / diabetic - this for me says it all.
AM1874
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,383
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Not much
Hi @DiabeticDestruction .. and welcome
Cure or remission .. the never-ending question. Whatever the answer, you have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like you and many others, I was shell-shocked with little information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
You have already made a positive start in dealing with your T2 diagnosis .. but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @Squire Fulwood has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
If you have not already done so, it is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.
Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
Cure or remission .. the never-ending question. Whatever the answer, you have certainly made a good move coming here. I was diagnosed T2 in early Feb and, like you and many others, I was shell-shocked with little information and no real idea of what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.
You have already made a positive start in dealing with your T2 diagnosis .. but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..
I see that @Squire Fulwood has already tagged @ daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. and the following Diet Doctor websites which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds
If you have not already done so, it is a top priority that you get yourself a test meter and, for this, the following websites might help:
https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/
for the SD Codefree meter, which costs £12.98 or:
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/
who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free.
I have both which I alternate for comparative purposes and I have never found any significant difference between them.
Unless you are prescribed test strips by your doctor (unlikely), the costs of testing comes down to the ongoing charges for test strips and lancets. Make sure that you tick the appropriate box on the on-line order form and you won't pay VAT on your meter or strips.
For the SD Codefree, the strips are £7.69 for a pack of 50 and there are discount codes available for bulk purchases:
5 packs x 50 use code: 264086 .. cost is £38.45
10 packs x 50 use code: 975833 .. cost is £76.90
For the TEE 2, the strips are £7.75 for a pack of 50 .. but there are no discount codes currently available
I'm testing 3-5 times a day which works out at around £10 to £12 per month for either of the two packages above but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them
Hope this helps
One can in fact slow the process of its progress. It also depends on how severe it is and your genes. Shed weight, and keep them under control.
Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight and building up to 150 minutes of exercise a week may help you to slow or stop the progress of type 2
Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight and building up to 150 minutes of exercise a week may help you to slow or stop the progress of type 2
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@DiabeticDestruction
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask more questions when you need to and you will get more replies from members in addition to those who have already answered.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 245,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
Hello and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Ask more questions when you need to and you will get more replies from members in addition to those who have already answered.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 245,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
- Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
- Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
