Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#41

Post by turc1656 » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:50 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #10

> The entire intervention is managed by physicians and the nutritional approach is based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis (which I’ve written about extensively in the past and throughout this blog). People like to hate on low-carb approach. They say things like "It causes liver problems" which don't have a basis in reality. Human beings survived for thousands of years on way f…

All true, except the last part. Sugars and starches do not have a higher energy density. Fats are approximately 9 calories per gram. Everything else (proteins, sugars, starches, and carbs in general) are around 4.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#42

Post by magic_beans » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:51 PM UTC

turc1656 wrote: post #31

"...based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis" That's really the key to what is fixing the diabetes. And it's just a brief mention in the article. Nothing else about the nutritional aspects. This was extremely light on actual, real information. That being said, I'm also not sure why this stuff is still considered news. Many people, myself included, have been saying for some years…

> When I tell them that a regular baked potato or red potatoes have glycemic index values of around 85-89 and that potato ships are around 50-55 they are stunned

I'm frankly SHOCKED by the amount of people I encounter on a daily basis -- even my own damn significant other -- who have no idea what a carbohydrate even is. I love my SO to death, but I was appalled he had no idea grains and potatoes were carbs, and he is very well educated and works in tech.

If someone like my SO can't understand what a carb is, how do you expect your average American to get it?

Nutrition education in this country is so disappointing.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#43

Post by dhruvkar » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:51 PM UTC

devmunchies wrote: post #30

djsumdog wrote: post #10

> The entire intervention is managed by physicians and the nutritional approach is based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis (which I’ve written about extensively in the past and throughout this blog). People like to hate on low-carb approach. They say things like "It causes liver problems" which don't have a basis in reality. Human beings survived for thousands of years on way f…

Fat + Carbs makes you fat. Cut out one and you lose weight. I'm on a plant based diet which is high carb (no highly-refined carbs) and I'm very fit. If your body's glycogen stores are full from carbs then YES fat you consume goes straight to fat. EDIT: and WFPB (whole food plant based) also reverses type 2 diabetes.

I've been on keto for a > 1 year now, but feeling like I want to cut out meat products.

Any resources that you can point to, to research the physiological effects behind WFPB, and for getting started?

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#44

Post by sametmax » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:52 PM UTC

magic_beans wrote: post #37

turc1656 wrote: post #31

"...based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis" That's really the key to what is fixing the diabetes. And it's just a brief mention in the article. Nothing else about the nutritional aspects. This was extremely light on actual, real information. That being said, I'm also not sure why this stuff is still considered news. Many people, myself included, have been saying for some years…

I have a dumb question. Can diabetes actually be "fixed" with a keto diet? What if a T2 diabetic does carb restriction and keto for a year and "reverses" their diabetes. If they eat cakes and cookies for a week at Christmas, does the T2D come crashing back?

It depends a lot of the person metabolism and health history.

With drugs you have very accurate protocol.

But when it's about changing your life style, you need to learn about what you atr doing, and regularly adapt. It's not a passive process and it's why few people do it : you basically take responsability for the ride.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#45

Post by magic_beans » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:52 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #10

> The entire intervention is managed by physicians and the nutritional approach is based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis (which I’ve written about extensively in the past and throughout this blog). People like to hate on low-carb approach. They say things like "It causes liver problems" which don't have a basis in reality. Human beings survived for thousands of years on way f…

> I wish there were more low carb options when eating out

It's impossible. If I go out to eat, I accept that I will very likely not be eating a nourishing meal.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#46

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:52 PM UTC

aborington wrote: post #33

djsumdog wrote: post #10

> The entire intervention is managed by physicians and the nutritional approach is based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis (which I’ve written about extensively in the past and throughout this blog). People like to hate on low-carb approach. They say things like "It causes liver problems" which don't have a basis in reality. Human beings survived for thousands of years on way f…

how does sugar contribute to heart disease?

[deleted]

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#47

Post by turc1656 » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:56 PM UTC

devmunchies wrote: post #32

bena wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. You can eat a lot of calories of pure sugar and still not "feel" full. Whereas it's hard to overeat lettuce, you'll literally fill up before you go over your daily caloric intake. Not that I'm advocating a lettuce only diet. But as I acquire more and more information about how we eat, what we eat, etc, I've become of the opinion that we do have way too much salt, oil, and sugar in our diets. We can even cut dow…

The same goes for oil which is all fat and no carb. Refined food is the real culprit, not just refined carbs.

There are some healthy and natural oils, but yes the vast majority of the oils we use are cheap, processed garbage. The real issue is that our bodies aren't designed to consume, for example, vegetable oil in mass quantity because the amount of actual vegetables you would need to consume to get that same amount of the oil is simply impossible to do.

Those refined oils aren't handled in the same way the healthy, natural ones are so it contributes to the metabolic damage.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#48

Post by godshatter » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:56 PM UTC

magic_beans wrote: post #37

turc1656 wrote: post #31

"...based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis" That's really the key to what is fixing the diabetes. And it's just a brief mention in the article. Nothing else about the nutritional aspects. This was extremely light on actual, real information. That being said, I'm also not sure why this stuff is still considered news. Many people, myself included, have been saying for some years…

I have a dumb question. Can diabetes actually be "fixed" with a keto diet? What if a T2 diabetic does carb restriction and keto for a year and "reverses" their diabetes. If they eat cakes and cookies for a week at Christmas, does the T2D come crashing back?

I'm a T2D that has successfully dropped my a1c from 8.9% to 5.5%. I've "reversed" my diabetes. I put "reversed" in quotes because the underlying problem is still there. If I drop my low carb, intermittent fasting routine, my blood sugars shoot right back up. I'm not fixed, I'm just not making myself any worse.

There is hope that my pancreas will recover somewhat, since there is a theory out there that fat stored in the pancreas is part of the problem with how well beta cells function and intermittent fasting and low carb has decreased the amount of fat stored in my liver so it's possible it will work on the pancreas over time as well. That would really be a reversal of T2D if it happens.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#49

Post by brandonmenc » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:56 PM UTC

magic_beans wrote: post #37

turc1656 wrote: post #31

"...based on highly individualized carbohydrate restriction and nutritional ketosis" That's really the key to what is fixing the diabetes. And it's just a brief mention in the article. Nothing else about the nutritional aspects. This was extremely light on actual, real information. That being said, I'm also not sure why this stuff is still considered news. Many people, myself included, have been saying for some years…

I have a dumb question. Can diabetes actually be "fixed" with a keto diet? What if a T2 diabetic does carb restriction and keto for a year and "reverses" their diabetes. If they eat cakes and cookies for a week at Christmas, does the T2D come crashing back?

People are confusing "managing" with "fixing".

Does a "keto" diet regenerate beta cells? Can someone with "reversed" T2D eat an isolated high carb meal and experience a normal glucose response? afaik, no and no.

Re: Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible at Scale?

#50

Post by magic_beans » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:57 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #9

This seems like an ad for "virta health." Which itself seems to be a pile of supplements, a scale, and a Keto Diet plan. Keto Diets (and intermittent fasting) have been shown to help "reverse" type-2 diabetes, since it moves people out of the medical criteria for the disease. But if the original lifestyle returned that individual may become classified as a type-2 diabetic again.

The article-writer states he is an investor in Virta Health because he actually believes their approach will work to reduce T2D at scale.