T2 Reversal .. ??

[ethelwulf]

The term "reversal" in itself does not imply a finite, absolute value. Surely "total reversal" would mean a total cure, in which blood sugars have returned to normal levels, with no use of insulin, meds, and a return to an unrestricted diet. I guess that the "reversal" which I personally relate to is one in which "acceptable" target blood sugar readings have been achieved, and are being maintained, by a combination of meds, diet, and exercise. I'm Type 2, and I'm pleased to say my bloods are behaving, so managed reversal, yes, but cure, no... and unlikely to ever be achieved, I suspect. I'd like to be proven wrong, but if it was as straightforward as following a LCHF diet, why don't many more people achieve a "cure"?

 

[13lizanne]

Well I know that my diabetes is not reversed, otherwise I would be able to eat a bar of chocolate without my bg levels soaring. I can't because they do

 

[tinyfilosofer]

Well I know that my diabetes is not reversed, otherwise I would be able to eat a bar of chocolate without my bg levels soaring. I can't because they do

Agree. This is probably more suitably called "controlled". Not reversed. I'd think reversal means no more needing to watch sugar intake and body produces just enough insulin to cover anything we eat.
Calling "control" as "reversed" is misleading and gives false hope.

 

[Robkww]

Will I be able to go back to year zero and spend a second round of 50+ years on a carb crammed diet before my BS becomes elevated again and a concern? At this juncture in dietary and medical progress I doubt it and therefore the only term I use is controlled.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Then, if that constitutes reversal .. well, my mind will have been made up

It's a good question and in the past I have thought it was answered by one question. Can you continue to eat the same amount of carbs as you did before?

I have followed a low carb diet for 3 plus years and have had wonderful HbA1c results each year until the last one. It's only been because of the FreeStyle Libre that I've a better idea of what's going on but what I see is disturbing. Where the hell is the BG coming from? I'm still low carbing (40gms most days). My BG has been in double figures all day, 12hrs after my Saturday evening meal (very little carbs) and after just 2 pieces of bacon for breakfast, it's just dropped to 7 after a lunch of beef and 2 sorts of cabbage (I know how to live LOL).

It's very easy to become complacent and believe that it's reversed, I think it just gets slowed down or in my case mixed up.

 

[miahara]

I don’t think that ‘reversal’ should be interpreted as simply going back to a state where the condition no longer exists. ‘Remission,’ may be a more accurate term, in that it implies that the condition is no longer progressing and that one has managed to get it under control and reduced the harmful levels of excess glucose in the blood.

At my last meeting with my GP she said that if my BG/HbA1c levels continued to fall as they have been doing, largely due to diet, she’d classify me as ‘in remission,’ but I wouldn’t regard myself as cured, but simply as having learned how to manage the condition rather than the condition manage me.