Intermittent fasting may lead to type 2 diabetes remission

People with type 2 diabetes who fast intermittently may longer need medication, reports Aisha Rimi

Lifestyle and dietary changes can help manage type 2 diabetes (Getty Images)

A new study has shown that intermittent fasting could remove the need for medication in people with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition where the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react to insulin, while type 1 is where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating, regular exercise and achieving a healthy body weight, can help manage type 2 diabetes.

Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly as a weight loss method. With intermittent fasting, eating is restricted to a specific window of time.

The study, published inThe Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggests that a form of intermittent fasting can help patients with type 2 diabetes enter remission.

Researchers at Hunan Agricultural University, China conducted a three month intermittent fasting diet intervention with 36 people with diabetes and found almost 90 per cent of participants, including those who took sugar-lowering agents and insulin, reduced their diabetes medication intake after intermittent fasting.

Just over half (55 per cent) of the group experienced diabetes remission, discontinued their diabetes medication and maintained it for at least one year.

“Type 2 diabetes is not necessarily a permanent, lifelong disease. Diabetes remission is possible if patients lose weight by changing their diet and exercise habits,” said Dongbo Liu, of the Hunan Agricultural University.

“Our research shows an intermittent fasting, Chinese Medical Nutrition Therapy (CMNT), can lead to diabetes remission in people with type 2 diabetes, and these findings could have a major impact on the over 537 million adults worldwide who suffer from the disease.”

The study challenges the view that dietary interventions can only affect those with a shorter diabetes duration, as 65 per cent of the participants who achieved diabetes remission had a diabetes duration of more than six years.

“Diabetes medications are costly and a barrier for many patients who are trying to effectively manage their diabetes. Our study saw medication costs decrease by 77 per cent in people with diabetes after intermittent fasting,” Dr Liu said.