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I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a year and a half ago, at the time I had an HBA1C of 8.2 (6.0 is the top end of normal). The first thing I did when I

by ollysb 10y ago

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about a year and a half ago, at the time I had an HBA1C of 8.2 (6.0 is the top end of normal). The first thing I did when I got home was google "cure for diabetes", the newcastle diet is what came up. After 6 months of the usual medication (metformin etc.) I decided to give it a go. You can see my log, which includes medication, supplements, exercise, total calories per day and BG readings 5 times a day[1]. You can see that it took me just 12 days to come off the medication and that in the following 2 months I was able to maintain excellent BG control. A year later I'm still off the medication, my last HBA1C was 5.7 which is considered normal. Maintaining that does require daily exercise (and I do mean _every_ day) and good diet management but I've found it a fairly easy regime to follow (half an hour of 80% intensity is enough most days). My quality of life is now excellent (it was terrible on the medication) and I'm able to eat a little more freely. The only big differences regarding diet are that I now only drink a couple of times a month and I don't go near anything with wheat flour in it. EDIT: google docs doesn't seem to allow me to share the docs publicly (I can only share with specific email addresses or within my domain) so I've made them available as csv and excel files. [1] CSV - https://www.dropbox.com/s/tr1xwd3l6ziiows/newcastle_diet.csv?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tr1xwd3l6ziiows/newcastle_diet.csv... Excel - https://www.dropbox.com/s/12tjf23oz7ihq4d/newcastle_diet.xlsx?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/12tjf23oz7ihq4d/newcastle_diet.xls...

needcaffeine 10y ago
Can't access the document. Permissions need to be changed.
melling 10y ago
People who use metformin seem to live longer than those who don't. Studies are about to be done to see if it actually works: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fountain-of-youth-drug-trial-has-seniors-scrambling-to-prove-theyre-worthy-1461536819 http://www.wsj.com/articles/fountain-of-youth-drug-trial-has... "Behind the mania is a widely used, inexpensive generic pill for Type 2 diabetes called metformin. Scientists are planning a clinical trial to see if the drug can delay or prevent some of the most devastating diseases of advanced age, from heart ailments to cognitive decline to cancer. To test the pill, gerontologists at 14 aging centers around the U.S. will follow 3,000 seniors for six years. Half the seniors involved would get the drug, while the others would receive a placebo."
- ollysb 10y ago
  There's no doubt about it that metformin does lower your BG. Depending on the person though the side-effects can be pretty nasty. Personally I had a lot of stomach problems (which I've never had before or since) and I found that I was unable to exercise because I would have a hypo after just 10 minutes. I also had trouble staying awake, I'd often be slumped in my chair and would need to take a 20min siesta after lunch. I'm a fit 36 year old who's used to exercising a lot and having good energy levels so I found this situation difficult to get used to.
  - 1123581321 10y ago
    You needed to reduce your insulin to compensate for the metformin.
    - ollysb 10y ago
      I've never taken insulin personally, I was on metformin and linagliptin.
exelius 10y ago
Given that Type 2 diabetes is generally believed to be caused by diet, it makes sense that diet could fix it as well. My personal hypothesis is that some people have intestinal bacteria that are really, really good at breaking down sugar very quickly. So when you eat high GI foods, your gut turns them into glucose very quickly releases them into your blood, and your body has to deal accordingly. IMO that would help explain why people who are very obese get type 2 with some regularity, but how otherwise healthy adults who are simply moderately overweight can also develop it. A corollary to this hypothesis is that the ability of your (personal) intestinal bacteria to break down different types of foods at different rates means that there is no such thing as a "universal diet". Some people will be healthiest eating large amounts of red meat, some will be healthiest on a high-carb diet, while others may need something more fiber-rich (assuming appropriate calorie control, of course). This appears to be borne out anecdotally, with diet plans having different efficacy on different people. Intestinal flora is something the medical community is just now beginning to research and understand. There's something unique that happens in our intestines, and while there's obviously a genetic component to it, the genes your intestinal flora carry may be just as important. We don't understand the system or the feedback loops (maybe eating too much sugar causes these bacteria to over-populate the intestines in some people and crowd out other bacteria?) The point is, there's a whole lot we don't know about how our bodies process the nutrients we take in. There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet.
- vonmoltke 10y ago
  > There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet. "[W]e just don't understand the science behind it yet" because there is none. Holistic medicine is quackery that has failed scientific tests if efficacy time and time again.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - exelius 10y ago
coldpie 10y ago
Thanks for sharing your specific numbers. My A1cs as a Type 1 Diabetic are usually in the low-to-mid 6s. My latest just a few months ago was 6.4. My doctor's happy with that, and described it as the levels typical of a pre-Diabetic. That seems pretty good to me, considering the constant attention I have to pay to it and the ease with which it can go badly.
147 10y ago
I've requested access to this doc. Please make it open it up, as I have type 2 diabetes too! Edit: Thanks!
nabla9 10y ago
Excuse my ignorance, but this does not seem any way unconventional. It seems to me that you are treating your condition without medication, not reversing it. Exercise and regulating your blood sugar using diet is what doctors suggest but not many people follow it. You still have permanently increased insulin resistance and you must stay on your exercise and diet to prevent it getting worse.
- ollysb 10y ago
  Note they're using the term "reversed" not "cured". > So, nearly four years down the line, is my diet still successful? Yes – but it takes close monitoring and willpower. We all know that diets are notoriously hard to stick to – unless the incentive is powerful enough. In my case, it is. > …and the 1,750-calorie diet he follows now As the theory goes some people are genetically predisposed to accumulating fat within the pancreas which causes insulin resistance. The (hypothesised) reason that the diet works is that it causes the body to use up fat from within the pancreas to the point where it begins to function again. Unfortunately the tendency remains, without continued management the pancreas will accumulate the fat again and the diabetic symptoms will return. This is borne out by the fact that a year later many of the original participants were experiencing diabetic symptoms once again.
  - nabla9 10y ago
    How does one differentiate between keeping blood sugar low with low calorie diet and exercise and the better functioning pancreas?
    - ollysb 10y ago
      Speaking from personal experience, with the same diet and level of exercise I see vastly different numbers. I've been through the process twice, the second time because I injured my back and wasn't able to exercise for two months. When I restarted my previous regime I found that my numbers stabilised at a far higher range than I'd achieved previously. I went through the same diet process again (for 2 weeks) after which I returned to the same regime. My numbers are now stabilised at the lower level that I'd achieved before.

by ollysb 10y ago

needcaffeine 10y ago

Can't access the document. Permissions need to be changed.

melling 10y ago

People who use metformin seem to live longer than those who don't. Studies are about to be done to see if it actually works: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fountain-of-youth-drug-trial-has-seniors-scrambling-to-prove-theyre-worthy-1461536819 http://www.wsj.com/articles/fountain-of-youth-drug-trial-has... "Behind the mania is a widely used, inexpensive generic pill for Type 2 diabetes called metformin. Scientists are planning a clinical trial to see if the drug can delay or prevent some of the most devastating diseases of advanced age, from heart ailments to cognitive decline to cancer. To test the pill, gerontologists at 14 aging centers around the U.S. will follow 3,000 seniors for six years. Half the seniors involved would get the drug, while the others would receive a placebo."

ollysb 10y ago
There's no doubt about it that metformin does lower your BG. Depending on the person though the side-effects can be pretty nasty. Personally I had a lot of stomach problems (which I've never had before or since) and I found that I was unable to exercise because I would have a hypo after just 10 minutes. I also had trouble staying awake, I'd often be slumped in my chair and would need to take a 20min siesta after lunch. I'm a fit 36 year old who's used to exercising a lot and having good energy levels so I found this situation difficult to get used to.
- 1123581321 10y ago
  You needed to reduce your insulin to compensate for the metformin.
  - ollysb 10y ago
    I've never taken insulin personally, I was on metformin and linagliptin.

exelius 10y ago

Given that Type 2 diabetes is generally believed to be caused by diet, it makes sense that diet could fix it as well. My personal hypothesis is that some people have intestinal bacteria that are really, really good at breaking down sugar very quickly. So when you eat high GI foods, your gut turns them into glucose very quickly releases them into your blood, and your body has to deal accordingly. IMO that would help explain why people who are very obese get type 2 with some regularity, but how otherwise healthy adults who are simply moderately overweight can also develop it. A corollary to this hypothesis is that the ability of your (personal) intestinal bacteria to break down different types of foods at different rates means that there is no such thing as a "universal diet". Some people will be healthiest eating large amounts of red meat, some will be healthiest on a high-carb diet, while others may need something more fiber-rich (assuming appropriate calorie control, of course). This appears to be borne out anecdotally, with diet plans having different efficacy on different people. Intestinal flora is something the medical community is just now beginning to research and understand. There's something unique that happens in our intestines, and while there's obviously a genetic component to it, the genes your intestinal flora carry may be just as important. We don't understand the system or the feedback loops (maybe eating too much sugar causes these bacteria to over-populate the intestines in some people and crowd out other bacteria?) The point is, there's a whole lot we don't know about how our bodies process the nutrients we take in. There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet.

vonmoltke 10y ago
> There are a lot of studies underway, but holistic medicine is pretty obviously a real thing -- we just don't understand the science behind it yet. "[W]e just don't understand the science behind it yet" because there is none. Holistic medicine is quackery that has failed scientific tests if efficacy time and time again.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- exelius 10y ago

coldpie 10y ago

Thanks for sharing your specific numbers. My A1cs as a Type 1 Diabetic are usually in the low-to-mid 6s. My latest just a few months ago was 6.4. My doctor's happy with that, and described it as the levels typical of a pre-Diabetic. That seems pretty good to me, considering the constant attention I have to pay to it and the ease with which it can go badly.

147 10y ago

I've requested access to this doc. Please make it open it up, as I have type 2 diabetes too! Edit: Thanks!

nabla9 10y ago

Excuse my ignorance, but this does not seem any way unconventional. It seems to me that you are treating your condition without medication, not reversing it. Exercise and regulating your blood sugar using diet is what doctors suggest but not many people follow it. You still have permanently increased insulin resistance and you must stay on your exercise and diet to prevent it getting worse.

ollysb 10y ago
Note they're using the term "reversed" not "cured". > So, nearly four years down the line, is my diet still successful? Yes – but it takes close monitoring and willpower. We all know that diets are notoriously hard to stick to – unless the incentive is powerful enough. In my case, it is. > …and the 1,750-calorie diet he follows now As the theory goes some people are genetically predisposed to accumulating fat within the pancreas which causes insulin resistance. The (hypothesised) reason that the diet works is that it causes the body to use up fat from within the pancreas to the point where it begins to function again. Unfortunately the tendency remains, without continued management the pancreas will accumulate the fat again and the diabetic symptoms will return. This is borne out by the fact that a year later many of the original participants were experiencing diabetic symptoms once again.
- nabla9 10y ago
  How does one differentiate between keeping blood sugar low with low calorie diet and exercise and the better functioning pancreas?
  - ollysb 10y ago
    Speaking from personal experience, with the same diet and level of exercise I see vastly different numbers. I've been through the process twice, the second time because I injured my back and wasn't able to exercise for two months. When I restarted my previous regime I found that my numbers stabilised at a far higher range than I'd achieved previously. I went through the same diet process again (for 2 weeks) after which I returned to the same regime. My numbers are now stabilised at the lower level that I'd achieved before.