Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle condition which is caused by calorie-rich nutrition, excess weight and a lack of exercise, a condition which has now reached epidemic proportions. Traditional diabetes treatments still use medication to manage the condition but studies have confirmed that patients who make targeted lifestyle changes can achieve significant improvements through their own efforts.
Over the past decade, insulin has become the most common global treatment method for advanced diabetes however, before insulin, strict diets were in fact a popular and successful approach adopted by many specialist doctors working in diabetes management. Studies showed it was even possible to bring about remission from the illness through diet alone. [1] [2] In certain cases, targeted lifestyle changes offer new options in the fight against diabetes.
Using formula diets is an important instrument that can help people with Type 2 diabetes achieve the lifestyle changes they are aiming for. Such diets are calorie controlled and nutritious, providing a healthy and effective solution. What is of greater significance however, is that studies showed how blood values improved even before significant weight loss was achieved, in particular HbA1c and fasting blood glucose [3]. Through the use of formula diets, it was even possible to achieve clinical remission in diabetes treatment, particularly when the duration of the individuals Type 2 diabetes was short. [4] [5]
Today, people living with Type 2 diabetics can use formula diets as a natural alternative to classic medication-based treatment methods. The scientifically proven success of such supported lifestyle changes shows that insulin is not the only tool in the fight against Type 2 diabetes.
[1] Westman EC, Yancy WS Jr, Humphreys M (2006) Dietary treatment of diabetes mellitus in the pre-insulin era (1914–1922). Perspect Biol Med 49:77–83.
[2] Genuth SM (1977): Insulin secretion in obesity and diabetes:an illustrative case. Ann Intern Med 87(6):714–716.
[3] Lim EL, Hollingsworth KG, Aribisala BS, Chen MJ, Mathers JC, Taylor R (2011): Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol. Diabetologia 54:2506–2514.
[4] Steven S, Hollingsworth KG, Al-Mrabeh A, Avery L, Aribisala B, Caslake M, Taylor R (2016): Very low-calorie diet and 6 months of weight stability in type 2 diabetes: pathophysiological changes in responders and nonresponders. Diabetes Care 39:808–815.
[5] Martin S, Kempf K (2014): Einsatz von Formuladiät als Basistherapie bei Typ-2-Diabetes (Use of the formula diet as the basic treatment for Type 2 Diabetes). Dtsch Med Wochenschr 139 (21):1106–1108.
