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Therapeutic intermittent fasting may help eliminate the need for insulin and other glucose-lowering medications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Findings from three cases were published in the prestigious British Medical Journal by Suleiman Furmli, Department of Family Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues.
The three patients had been referred to an intensive dietary management clinic and were taking at least 70 units of insulin every day. After several months of intermittent fasting — either on alternate days or three times weekly — all three were able to discontinue insulin while improving their glycemic control.
The researchers say that therapeutic fasting uses intensive caloric restriction gives similar hormonal benefits as bariatric surgery without the invasive surgery. Therapeutic fasting involves controlled abstinence from all calorie-containing food and drinks for a specified duration of time.
It is different from starvation. During fasting periods, patients are allowed to drink unlimited amounts of low-calorie fluids such as water, coffee, tea, and bone broth. They are also advised to take adequate micronutrients. It can range from 16 hours to a few days. On days when patients could eat, they were encouraged to eat low-sugar, which decreases blood glucose and insulin secretion