Drastic Calorie Restriction may Reverse Type II Diabetics to Normal
Type II diabetes mellitus is due to the combined effect of pancreatic beta cell failure to produce insulin in response to diet and peripheral tissue resistance to insulin. Most of the research point to the fact that the problem is due to direct toxicity of fat on liver and pancreas.
After gastric bypass surgery for obese, their insulin sensitivity improved as well as the pancreatic beta cell function. In gastric bypass operation there is severe negative energy balance.
It was thought that restricting calorie to a larger extent may also have similar effect on obese diabetics. Normally, an adult male is advised for intake of around 2000 calories per day. The experiment began by restricting calorie intake to 600 calories per day.
This was first tested on eleven recently diagnosed type II diabetic patients in UK. The doctors restricted their diet for 12 weeks and found that they no longer need drugs for diabetes. This was first reported in the Diabetologia and widely reported in the media .
The individuals with type 2 diabetes were given a liquid diet formula (46.4% carbohydrate, 32.5% protein and 20.1% fat; vitamins, minerals and trace elements; 510 kcal/day). This was supplemented with three portions of non-starchy vegetables such that total energy intake was about 2.5 MJ (600 kcal)/day. Participants were provided with suggestions of vegetable recipes to enhance compliance by varying daily eating.
They were also advised to drink at least 2 l of water or other energy-free beverages each day, and asked to maintain their habitual level of physical activity. At the end of the 8 week intervention participants returned to normal eating, but were provided with information about portion size and healthy eating.
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