2023-04-21 17:39:15
According to the ‘[email protected]’ study, by the Network Biomedical Research Center for Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CiberDEM), it is estimated that, In Spain, more than 4.5 million inhabitants suffer from diabetes. A disease that, to this day, has no cure. In addition, its incidence is increasing to about 386,000 new cases per year in the adult population, especially after the age of 45. Its main cause is obesity, derived from an unhealthy lifestyle, since fatty tissue produces a series of substances that decrease the sensitivity of insulin receptors. In fact, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight at diagnosis.
In this sense, a study, funded by Diabetes UK, discovered that starting a low-calorie diet can help reverse a diabetes diagnosis and, in turn, reduce the risk of other conditions. Figures from the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) suggest that up to a quarter of people had their diabetes in remission two years later to start such a diet and these people they were still in remission three years later. Which meant that already they were not required to take medication to control their sugar levels in blood. Those in remission recorded an average weight loss of 8.9kg over the five years.
The study
A total of 298 people participated in the study and half of them went on a diet with the support of health professionals. In addition, type 2 diabetes and blood pressure medications were discontinued at the beginning of the program and reintroduced if necessary. This diet included low-calorie, nutrient-dense soups and smoothies, which constituted about 800 calories per day. Likewise, the participants maintained this type of diet between 12 and 20 weeks. After the diet, the participants reintroduced healthy foods with the support of a nurse or dietitian to maintain weight loss.
At the end of the two-year investigation, 95 of the 149 participants in the weight loss program agreed to continue with the study, which lasted for another three years. In that extension of the preliminary study, of the 95 participants, 48 were already in remission as a result of the previous study and 23% of them were still in remission three years later. The proportion of people in remission at the end of the five-year period was more than three times that of the DiRECT control group.
In this sense, the findings closely linked the remission of the disease with weight loss and weight maintenance. In addition, the researchers stated that those who regained their weight after the study’s conclusion were no longer in remission.
Finally, Professor Mike Lean, from the University of Glasgow, who co-led the study, revealed: “Type 2 diabetes causes a range of progressive and life-shortening complications, including blindness, infections, amputations, kidney failure, and cardiac. And these studies have shown us that a substantial proportion of people, managed in primary care, can maintain sufficient weight loss to be free of the condition for up to five years.”
#Scientists #discover #diet #remit #type #diabetes #years