A doctor has revealed the best two things you can do to reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes naturally.
Dr Jason Fung, also known as The Fasting Doctor, outlined the key dietary changes that could tackle the “core problem”.
Type 2 diabetes is triggered by dangerously high blood sugar levels. This can occur either because your body is not making enough insulin, or your cells are not responding to insulin properly, also known as insulin resistance.
Worryingly, the blood sugar condition is becoming increasingly more common.
Speaking to podcast host Steven Bartlett on a recent episode of his show, The Diary of a CEO, Dr Fung said: “Since the 1970s we’ve had an increase in obesity. Then we had an increase in type 2 diabetes.
“But I think the most fascinating thing, the most promising thing, I’ve heard in a long time is that you can start to reverse this disease by changing your diet.”
The expert explained that type 2 diabetes “is largely a dietary disease”, so treating it with drugs isn’t going to cut it.
“If you give drugs to a dietary disease, well, you’re never going to fix it because you haven’t identified the core problem,” he said.
With this in mind, the doctor recommended switching up your diet, with a focus on cutting down on carbohydrates or using intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting refers to a diet that requires you to go for extended periods without eating.
Some popular approaches include the 5:2 fast, where you eat a normal diet five days a week and fast two days a week, or daily time-restricted fasting, where you eat normally but only within an eight-hour window each day.
Dr Fung said: “If you don’t eat, you’re going to use up your blood glucose and your diabetes will get better.”
What’s more, the effects of this popular diet are even backed by research. A study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that intermittent fasting could “completely reverse” type 2 diabetes.
Looking at 72 people between the ages of 38 and 72 with type 2 diabetes divided into two groups, the scientists discovered that 17 out of the 36 participants in the fasting group achieved diabetes remission, compared to just one person in the control group.
However, you should always speak to your doctor before making a stark dietary change.
When it comes to cutting down on carbs, Dr Fung said: “The American Diabetes Association and their nutritional journals talk about having the most scientific evidence for reversing type 2 diabetes with cutting down the carbohydrates. And then step two about burning the sugar off, and that’s where fasting comes into the picture.”
