Intermittent Fasting and Diabetes Medication Use

A new study has found that intermittent fasting – such as the 5:2 diet, which consists of eating few calories for 2 days followed by eating normally for 5 days – could lead to weight loss and diabetes remission in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, followed 72 patients with type 2 diabetes in China for 3 months. The 36 patients in the intermittent fasting group lost roughly 13 pounds and maintained this weight loss for 1 year, and close to half achieved diabetes remission. In comparison, the 36 patients in the control group had barely any weight loss, and only 3% achieved remission. Senior author Dongbo Liu, PhD, from the Hunan Agricultural University in China, said in a news release that these results demonstrate that “type 2 diabetes is not necessarily a permanent, lifelong disease. Diabetes remission is possible if patients lose weight by changing their diet and exercise habits.” Amy E. Rothberg, MD, PhD, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan who was not involved in the study, advises people with type 2 diabetes who want to try intermittent fasting to seek advice and guidance from a dietitian. She also advises that they reduce their calories in a way that is sustainable, so they can continue to lose weight and maintain it.