Intermittent fasting may help diabetics control their disease, according to a Chinese study titled “Effect of calorie-restricted, intermittent diet on type 2 diabetes remission,” published Wednesday by “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.” .
Carried out at Changsha University, the researchers tested the effect of intermittent fasting on type 2 diabetes with 72 adults, aged 38 to 72 and with diabetes for less than ten years. Participants were randomly separated into two groups: the first followed intermittent fasting and the second ate conventionally.
The fasting program consisted of fasting for 5 days, a period during which food intake was limited to 840 kcal per day, and then eating conventionally for ten days. This cycle was repeated six times over a total period of 90 days. Result: After three months, nearly 90% of participants with diabetes – including people who were taking blood sugar lowering medications and insulin – reduced their medication use. After one year, nearly half of the volunteers (44.4%) also achieved lasting diabetes remission.
Another advantage, fasting has allowed diabetics to lose weight, 5 kg on average. For the others, the body mass hardly decreased. The study remains extremely small (36 people) and the long-term effects of fasting on diabetes have not been analysed. Further research will therefore have to confirm these initial results, because hyperglycemia can return following several years.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Morocco has more than 25,000 diabetic children, more than 2.7 million diabetic adults, 49% of whom are unaware of their disease, and more than 2.2 million pre- diabetics, knowing further that 56% of people with diabetes suffer from hypertension, an association that exposes them to serious health complications.
With MAP
