We all know Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder. But how many of us believe Diabetes can be reversed through lifestyle changes? During my practice, I have seen many patients paying very little attention to lifestyle change advice given by doctors. Because most of the people prefer to lead a life, totally dependent on medication for managing blood sugar. This is purely due to a lack of awareness. Research has shown that low-calorie diet, plant-based nutrition, low carbohydrate diet, Intermittent fasting, etc. can reverse Diabetes in many people.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition characterized by persistent elevation of blood sugar and its complications.
Most common types of Diabetes include
Type 1 Diabetes is characterized by presentation at young age, absence of insulin production from pancreas and lifelong dependence on insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes is often detected in overweight individuals between 40-50 years of age. Unlike Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes patients have insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction due to accumulation of fat in liver/muscle cells and pancreas respectively. So this condition is reversible in large number of patients if properly treated. Further discussion in this website will be focusing on Type 2 Diabetes.
Our Approach
We all know Diabetes is a life style disorder. But how many of us believe Diabetes can be reversed through life style changes? During my practice, I have seen many patients paying very little attention to lifestyle change advice given by doctors. Because most of the people prefer to lead a life, totally dependent on medication for managing blood sugar. This is purely due to lack of awareness. Research has shown that low calorie diet, plant based nutrition, low carbohydrate diet, Intermittent fasting etc. can reverse Diabetes in many people. But most of the time people find it difficult to strictly follow any of these principles and abandon their effort in between.
At Bethaniya clinic each patient will be carefully interviewed, examined and investigated before formulating a plan of care. We recommend a personalized care plan for our patients incorporating diet, Intermittent fasting, supplements, Exercise etc. which suits to their daily routine and food choice. It’s a proven fact that committed people can attain Diabetes reversal and remain free of medications.
Diet / Nutrition
To a large extend Diabetes is a nutritional disorder. Number of people suffering from Diabetes have increased enormously during last 30 years especially in India. This correlates very well with the changes happened in our diet. Even though we eat plenty of calorie rich food we often miss vital nutrients because of a unbalanced diet.
Few dietary approaches which works really well for Diabetic individuals include Low calorie diet, Low carbohydrate diet, plant based nutrition and Mediterranean diet. We prescribe a diet for our patients based on the available research evidence as well as patient factors.
Intermittent Fasting
Availability of continuous food supply was not there during ancient times. There was periods of feasting alternating with that of fasting. This helps to make use of stored fat in our body. This is not happening now a days because of continuous supply of food. Observing intermittent fasting has a similar effect on our body. Recent research has shown that IF is highly beneficial in reversing Insulin resistance. In addition to this, IF also imparts numerous other health benefits like weight loss, improvement in lipid profile, protect from degenerative disorders etc. Intermittent fasting (IF) regimens include 16:8 fasting, 5:2 fasting, 4:3 fasting, alternate day fasting etc. American Diabetic Association has included IF in its latest recommendation for management of Diabetes.
Exercise
Exercise plays a important role in increasing the insulin sensitivity among diabetic patients. We have designed a exercise program which put all the major muscles into action individually. The program has 3 different levels which suits to the exercise tolerance of individual patients. Our physical therapist will analyze the patient and teach them to follow the exercise program in a supervised manner. In addition to improving insulin resistance exercise help to reduce the weight, prevent degenerative disorders and provides a sense of wellbeing to patients.
Supplements
We advise Diabetic patients to take supplements like probiotics, prebiotics, Magnesium, Selenium, Alpha lipoic acid etc. after a thorough analysis. We have found that these supplements help many people to improve their gut microbiome, correct deficiencies etc. which ultimately helps in improving their insulin resistance and glycemic control.
Most of the patients don’t need all of the above components to attain the desired goal. It can differ from patient to patient. The longer the duration of Diabetes, longer will be the period needed to reverse it. On an average less than 6 months is enough to reverse a patient with Diabetes of less than 5 years duration.The individual elements of the care plan will be decided based on the patient factors like physical status, comorbities, occupation etc. Since dedication shown by the patient and their spouse is the most important determinant factors for success of this program, we actively involve them in this journey to say Good bye to Diabetes.
What I will get ?
What should I do?