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

Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 114 posts

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#31

Post by DanBC »

vonmoltke wrote: post #26
buzzcut wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Self-inflict." It's actually a fairly complicated and can be quite difficult for people to break out of, even people who desperately want to change. When people follow the standard guidelines (which are beginning, slowly, to change) to avoid fat and reduce calories, they end up feeling hungry all the time, and have to white knuckle their way through. This is not a state that people can maintain long-term. Starvation…

> Starvation studies from the University of Minnesota have been described this way: "During the semi-starvation phase the changes were dramatic. Beyond the gaunt appearance of the men, there were significant decreases in their strength and stamina, body temperature, heart rate and sex drive. The psychological effects were significant as well. Hunger made the men obsessed with food. They would dream and fantasize abou…

> I would like to see this in reputable studies, because everything I have read on the subject rejects the hypothesis that there is a physiological change in energy usage as a result of lowered intake. In fact, it a) doesn't make any sense since fat is supposed to be a store of energy for lean times and b) if the body could function at its current level on less energy, it would.

This is still talking about near starvation mode. People who stop menstruating and who grow lanugo are doing stuff that reduces their need for energy.

(I'm not sure it's accurate even for this extreme state though. Re-feeding is risky, but I don't know if "starvation mode" is part of the cause of that risk.)

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#32

Post by [deleted] »

vonmoltke wrote: post #27
exelius wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that Type 2 diabetes is generally believed to be caused by diet, it makes sense that diet could fix it as well. My personal hypothesis is that some people have intestinal bacteria that are really, really good at breaking down sugar very quickly. So when you eat high GI foods, your gut turns them into glucose very quickly releases them into your blood, and your body has to deal accordingly. IMO that would help e…

> There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet. "[W]e just don't understand the science behind it yet" because there is none. Holistic medicine is quackery that has failed scientific tests if efficacy time and time again.

[deleted]

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#34

Post by Smaug123 »

js2 wrote: post #10

Michael Mosley's documentary, ”Eat, Fast and Live Longer” (about the health benefits of calorie restriction) is also interesting in the context of this article: https://vimeo.com/103656060 the plank (an exercise to help lose excess fat round the stomach) This is incorrect. The plank is an excellent exercise for building core strength (much better than situps), but it does not help lose excess fat around the stomach m…

Also the weirdly specific forearm muscles to soak up excess energy before it gets turned into fat. I'm no doctor, but even I know that the thigh muscles are much, much bigger than the forearms in nearly everyone.

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#35

Post by DanBC »

forgetsusername wrote: post #17
busterarm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, completely ignoring the fact that most people who get Type-2 diabetes are genetically predisposed to it and it can also be caused by things like repeated bouts of pancreatitis and EPI. But no, let's shame everyone who is fat for being overindulgent. Maybe having diabetes wouldn't be stigmatized so much if so many Type-1s didn't participate in it as well. (Non-diabetic here, I have no dog in this fight.)

> most people who get Type-2 Do you have any evidence that it's most ? > let's shame everyone who is fat for being overindulgent. Being overweight is tied to many diseases, and costs me a lot of money in health care costs. I have a say in this.

>Being overweight is tied to many diseases, and costs me a lot of money in health care costs. I have a say in this.

If you have a say in this you might want to look at effective ways to push your message.

We know from lots of research that merely yelling "GO FOR A JOG FATTY" does nothing to help fat people lose weight, and probably makes things harder for them.

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#36

Post by coldpie »

ollysb wrote: post #18

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a year and a half ago, at the time I had an HBA1C of 8.2 (6.0 is the top end of normal). The first thing I did when I got home was google "cure for diabetes", the newcastle diet is what came up. After 6 months of the usual medication (metformin etc.) I decided to give it a go. You can see my log, which includes medication, supplements, exercise, total calories per day and BG…

Thanks for sharing your specific numbers. My A1cs as a Type 1 Diabetic are usually in the low-to-mid 6s. My latest just a few months ago was 6.4. My doctor's happy with that, and described it as the levels typical of a pre-Diabetic. That seems pretty good to me, considering the constant attention I have to pay to it and the ease with which it can go badly.

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#37

Post by vonmoltke »

busterarm wrote: post #8
MonadQueen wrote: post #3

It's estimated that 60% of type-2 diabetics would no longer be affected if they simply lost weight and got down to a healthy BMI. Obese Type-2s should really be called "Type F" because it's not fair to people who didn't self-inflict their condition.

Oh, completely ignoring the fact that most people who get Type-2 diabetes are genetically predisposed to it and it can also be caused by things like repeated bouts of pancreatitis and EPI. But no, let's shame everyone who is fat for being overindulgent. Maybe having diabetes wouldn't be stigmatized so much if so many Type-1s didn't participate in it as well. (Non-diabetic here, I have no dog in this fight.)

> Oh, completely ignoring the fact that most people who get Type-2 diabetes are genetically predisposed to it and it can also be caused by things like repeated bouts of pancreatitis and EPI.

Considering MonadQueen said "* 60%* of type-2 diabetics" and "Obese Type-2s" (emphasis mine) I wonder where you got the idea that she as "completely ignoring" anything.

> But no, let's shame everyone who is fat for being overindulgent.

When and why did telling fat people that being fat hurts their health become "shaming"? Why does telling someone that always jump to a presumption of moral judgment?

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#38

Post by exelius »

vonmoltke wrote: post #27
exelius wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that Type 2 diabetes is generally believed to be caused by diet, it makes sense that diet could fix it as well. My personal hypothesis is that some people have intestinal bacteria that are really, really good at breaking down sugar very quickly. So when you eat high GI foods, your gut turns them into glucose very quickly releases them into your blood, and your body has to deal accordingly. IMO that would help e…

> There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet. "[W]e just don't understand the science behind it yet" because there is none. Holistic medicine is quackery that has failed scientific tests if efficacy time and time again.

I don't mean that the current "practice" of holistic medicine is quackery -- but that the principles behind it (what you eat can cause/treat certain diseases), when proven with proper scientific methodology, aren't entirely crazy.

Re: Diabetes: can you really eat to beat it?

#39

Post by 147 »

ollysb wrote: post #18

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a year and a half ago, at the time I had an HBA1C of 8.2 (6.0 is the top end of normal). The first thing I did when I got home was google "cure for diabetes", the newcastle diet is what came up. After 6 months of the usual medication (metformin etc.) I decided to give it a go. You can see my log, which includes medication, supplements, exercise, total calories per day and BG…

I've requested access to this doc. Please make it open it up, as I have type 2 diabetes too!

Edit:

Thanks!

Post reply on HN