Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 271 posts

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#151

Post by biohax2015 »

agumonkey wrote: post #112
slazaro wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Does this exist for non-diabetic patients? I recently had weight gain for the first time of my life after reaching 30yrs of age and always being underweight. I've been meaning to look into some diet-based approaches that would be supported by science, but Googling it has always been a deluge of pseudo-science. The Keto diet(s) are pretty popular for weight loss and general health too. The subreddit [1] is pretty ac…

just for the sake of warning, keto shows lots of results, but taps into a body mechanism that yields some form of withdrawal syndrom (keto flu IIRC)

Ketosis is the medical condition. It occurs when your body metabolizes fat for energy instead of glucose.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#152

Post by daeken »

rsync wrote: post #95
throwaway0255 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Pre-diabetic and all kinds of other health issues started creeping up (obesity, GERD, really bad heartburn, sleep apnea, etc). Most doctors would've just had me take medications, wear a mask that would breathe for me while I slept, and put my bed at an angle so I could sleep through the heartburn/reflux. Started calorie restricting and eliminated grains and sugar from my diet almost entirely, and all pre-diabet…

"A few months and about 50lbs in, I had no signs of insulin resistance whatsoever, my A1C was down to completely normal values, and I was able to discontinue my medication entirely." ... "Started calorie restricting and eliminated grains and sugar from my diet almost entirely, and all pre-diabetic symptoms disappeared within a month or two. Zero GERD, zero heartburn, no longer obese, no more disturbed sleep, lots of…

I spent many, many thousands of dollars on everything I needed -- and that's not including the tens of thousands my insurance covered. The vast, vast majority of the US population would not be able to afford this. I would very much support subsidizing medical care to a greater extent, but it's not just medical care. The diet (New Direction VLCD) I was on cost me $22 for a box of 7 shakes, of which I would have 3 per day -- $282/mo just for that. That alone puts it out of reach for many people, sadly.

Aside from just the economic side of it, it is exceptionally difficult to lose weight. It drove me to tears and severely impacted my mental state (despite also being treated for my mental illnesses) and that's even despite being very motivated to succeed. I don't look down on anyone looking for an easier route, whatever that may be; if I saw one, I would've taken it myself.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#154

Post by aviv »

logfromblammo wrote: post #82
daxorid wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is moral hazard. If we did the right thing and cut Type 2 diabetics off from health insurance benefits (or at least dramatically increased premiums), the incentive structures would align quickly. Edit: Mildly confused about the downvotes. I am not suggesting doing this to Type 1 diabetics, or any medical condition that is not the result of lifestyle choices. Having type 2 diabetes is very much a choice.

Okay, for the sake of argument, let's also refuse to pay for treatment for BASE jumpers and cave divers. Now let's refuse coverage to people who get STDs. Now people who smoke. Now people who don't fasten their seat belts. Do you see where that goes?

Uhm, towards a highly efficient system? Why do I need to pay the same premium as someone who eats fast food 3 times a day and downs 4 gallons of Coke and smokes in between?

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#155

Post by daeken »

vijayr wrote: post #21
daeken wrote: post #12

I went on a medically-supervised, very low calorie and low carb (keto) diet after being diagnosed with diabetes. A few months and about 50lbs in, I had no signs of insulin resistance whatsoever, my A1C was down to completely normal values, and I was able to discontinue my medication entirely. That diagnosis, as hard as it was to hear, was one of the absolute best things to ever happen to me.

Could you please share some details? What did you eat? Do you think it is possible to reverse it, even if the person was diabetic for a long time?

I was on the New Direction VLCD. 3 shakes (mocha only -- the rest were awful, but even months after stopping the diet, I still love the mocha) per day, 200 calories each. It's expensive as hell and only available via medical providers, but it worked exceptionally well. I saw my doctor every two weeks for a check-up and did monthly blood work to ensure that everything was still going well; there's a not insignificant risk of gallstones and other risks with such severe weight loss.

Overall, I went from somewhere over 400lbs (my scale wouldn't go above that) to 280lbs in around 9 months; my wife went from 258 to 198lbs in the same time. After she became pregnant, we fell off the bandwagon and both regained a decent amount (I'm around 330lbs now) but plan to start back on New Direction as soon as she gives birth, any day now.

I don't know if it would reverse diabetes for anyone but me -- there'd need to be more done to study this, for sure -- but I can absolutely say it saved my life. I frankly can't wait to get back on this diet.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#156

Post by firethief »

nradov wrote: post #126
thedaemon wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but you should always listen to your body. It usually craves the things you need. If you of course discount the craving for sugars and the like.

In my experience "listen to your body" is most often an excuse that people use to continue making unhealthy choices about food. Is there any research data on the correlation between food cravings and actual nutritional deficiencies?

It's definitely true to some extent. People with mineral deficiencies sometimes start eating eat rocks and dirt.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#157

Post by allhailkatt »

nradov wrote: post #127
adrianmonk wrote: post #33

I think the headline is accurate because that is indeed what the study shows, since it compared a control group to a group on a very low calorie diet. But I'd really like to know if this is any _more_ beneficial than more normal, gradual weight loss, like a 2000 calorie diet that gets you down to the same weight.

A lot of people with sedentary lifestyles will gain weight on a 2000kcal diet.

Or if you're small. I'm 5'2, so even adjusting for physical activity my BMR is about 1600 cal. 2000 cal/day means I'm going to gain about a pound a month.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#158

Post by BlytheSchuma »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #17
BlytheSchuma wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soylent.

Too much sugar (check the label). More like Ketochow (protein shake, vitamins, heavy whipping cream). Each of my servings is ~500 calories. Shed three pounds per week eating it 3 meals a day, no exercise. I miss the pancake batter taste of Soylent, don’t miss being fat.

The sugar is mostly isomaltulose.

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#159

Post by logfromblammo »

aviv wrote: post #154
logfromblammo wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, for the sake of argument, let's also refuse to pay for treatment for BASE jumpers and cave divers. Now let's refuse coverage to people who get STDs. Now people who smoke. Now people who don't fasten their seat belts. Do you see where that goes?

Uhm, towards a highly efficient system? Why do I need to pay the same premium as someone who eats fast food 3 times a day and downs 4 gallons of Coke and smokes in between?

Yes, totalitarianism can be highly efficient, when all the inefficient people are forcibly excluded from the system.

You need to pay the same as that person, so that the insurer does not have to know every tiny detail that separates the low-risk person from the high-risk person.

Do you really want 24-7 surveillance tracking how often you drink Coke, and tattling on you if you smoke? Or do you imagine that the guy who dips fries in his milkshake is going to self-report derogatory information to their insurer? And do you think that you will be the one deciding which behaviors will be considered high-risk? Do you think that they will all be firmly grounded in science rather than morality or politics?

Re: Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows

#160

Post by eternauta3k »

gebeeson wrote: post #104
throwaway0255 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it’s bizarre. The topic of diet has a lot in common with religion. The research is so murky and poorly conducted and everything is a contradiction, so people have a tendency to just pick a “team” and form beliefs around that. Team Vegan, Team Vegetarian, Team Keto, Team Paleo. If you’re on a different team, you’re an attack on their dietary beliefs. If you’re on any team, you’re a pain in the ass to anyone who…

I am still trying to dial in my diet Right Now. I am a Type 2 diabetic and cardiac patient; it all came on very fast and furious. I've tried LCHF before and it didn't work as described with my chemistry. Same with vegan (low fat super high carb). What diet Team am I rooting for now? Team I-Don't-Want-To-Get-A-Bad-Case-of-the-Dead's-Right-Now. Not sure what form that is but I am still testing.

Try paleo?
Post reply on HN