Table of Contents
I. Can Type 2 Diabetes be Reversed?
II. Learn How to Test Your Blood Sugar
III. The Relationship Between Foods and Diabetes
IV. Using Diet to Lower Blood Sugar
VI. The Science that Supports Diabetes Reversal
Can Type 2 Diabetes be Reversed?
People with type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar levels. Doctors usually prescribe drugs like Rybelsus, Jardiance, Farxiga (Dapagliflozin), and metformin to help monitor blood sugar levels. Excess sugar in the bloodstream can damage blood vessels. Managing type 2 diabetes used to be the best that someone with diabetes could hope for. Recently, studies have found evidence that type 2 diabetes can be reversed.
Learn How to Test Your Blood Sugar
Knowing your blood sugar level is a good place to start. You can find out if your blood sugar is too high with a test at your doctor’s office or with your own blood sugar meter (glucometer). Some people prefer to test their blood sugar level at home so that they can plan their meals accordingly. The general procedure to test your blood sugar at home is to:
1. Clean your hands and place a test strip into your blood sugar meter.
2. Prick the side of your finger with the lancet (small needle) to draw a drop of blood.
3. Place your drop of blood onto the tip of the test strip.
After you take these steps, wait a few seconds and your blood sugar meter will give you a reading. You have normal blood sugar if your reading shows less than 100mg/dL (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood). You may have prediabetes if your reading shows between 100 to 125 mg/dL. If you have a blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or higher after fasting (abstaining from food) overnight, or a blood sugar level higher than 200 mg/dL at any time, you may have diabetes. While using a glucometer at home saves time, only a doctor’s test is accurate enough for a diagnosis. [1]
The Relationship Between Foods and Diabetes
Once you have access to your blood sugar level with a glucometer, you can effectively tune your diet to keep it in a healthy range. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat make up the three categories of macronutrients (major nutrients). Understanding these three main categories of nutrients will help you improve your diet accordingly.
Carbohydrate foods like pasta, rice, bread, and potatoes quickly turn into sugar when you digest them. Generally, the more carbohydrate you consume, the more sugar you will absorb into your bloodstream. How your blood sugar reacts to carbohydrate intake depends on your insulin sensitivity. Foods that mainly contain protein (eggs, poultry, seafood, meat, tofu) do not affect your blood sugar level as much as carbohydrates do. Finally, the fat that accompanies protein, like cheese, does not raise your blood sugar very much. However, the fat that accompanies carbohydrates, like doughnuts, can raise your blood sugar significantly. [1]
Using Diet to Lower Blood Sugar
To function properly, your body needs nutrients from each category of macronutrients. However, too much of any macronutrient can be harmful. For people with type 2 diabetes, you can improve your blood sugar by choosing low-carbohydrate foods for your diet. Eating a low-carbohydrate diet can improve your energy and alertness. People who reduce their carbohydrate intake usually find that they need less medication to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. [1]
Even though starting a low-carbohydrate diet is safe for most people with type 2 diabetes, you should work with your doctor to ensure you are not taking excess medication. You may even be able to stop medicating. If you are thinking about trying a low-carbohydrate diet to lower your blood sugar levels, ask your doctor to adjust your treatment plan. [1]
Intermittent Fasting
Whenever you are not eating, you are intermittent fasting. When you choose to abstain from food, your insulin levels fall, and your body starts to burn stored energy. Intermittent fasting usually lasts between 12 to 14 hours. Many use the time between dinner and breakfast to intermittent fast. There is strong evidence that you can lower your blood sugar level by intermittent fasting the right way. Intermittent fasting is an old yet powerful therapy that can reverse diabetes and increase overall health. [2]
It is important to never starve yourself. Intermittent fasting must be deliberate and controlled. You should not intermittent fast if you are underweight, pregnant, breastfeeding, or prone to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). If you are thinking of incorporating intermittent fasting into your lifestyle, ask your doctor if it safe for you. [3]
The Science that Supports Diabetes Reversal
A study in 2017 found that low-carbohydrate diets can reduce triglycerides, blood pressure, and the need for diabetes medication. In this study, low-carbohydrate diets also increased good cholesterol called lipoprotein (HDL). In 2019, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) stated that a low-carbohydrate diet is the most effective way of lowering blood sugar levels.
Finally, a non-randomized trial from Virta Health showed that 94 percent of those who ate a low-carbohydrate diet reduced or stopped their insulin use after one year. This study also showed that 25 percent went into remission without medications, and 35 percent of patients went into remission using only metformin. [1]
Researchers have found that the progression of type 2 diabetes can be stopped, even reversed. The evidence shows that a low-carbohydrate diet alone may be able to lower blood sugar. Talk to your doctor if you decide to try intermittent fasting or a low-carbohydrate diet so that they can adjust your treatment plan to account for all the variables. It used to be that type 2 diabetes had no hope for remission; Now, there is hope that type 2 diabetes patients can reverse the disease naturally. [1]
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