Can Fasting Cure Type 2 Diabetes?

Getting the news that you have Type 2 diabetes can be quite shocking and devastating for many people as it is an incurable disease and has to managed throughout one’s life. Radical changes have to be made by diabetic patients to adjust living with the condition. Many different strategies are adopted to maintain blood sugar levels in the normal range.

In the last few years, many pieces of studies have proven the fact that fasting is highly beneficial in managing type 2 diabetes. People have also become very curious to know about the impact of fasting on diabetes, insulin, and blood sugar levels. This post deals with the common question of whether fasting can cure type 2 diabetes.

Before diving into the detailed explanation, it is important to state that type 2 diabetes in an incurable condition. It can only be managed via medications, healthy lifestyle changes, and intermittent fasting, which can reverse the condition to some extent.

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes means having sufficient insulin in your body that can cause severe reactions. As a consequence, the production of insulin is inhibited, and the blood glucose levels get extremely erratic. Severe weight loss, delays in the healing of the wounds, blurry vision, and excessive fatigue are some of the signs of type 2 diabetes.

People who do not have diabetes have insulin traveling in their bloodstream. The cells contain glucose. The glucose is converted into glycogen to generate energy for the body muscles. The rest of the sugar is saved by the later for later usage, like in fasting. Whenever glucose levels drop, the liver starts using glycogen to prevent further decrease in the sugar levels, and the production of the insulin is also stopped by the pancreas.

Absorption of glucose into the cells is also problematic in type 2 diabetic patients. Instead of the usual absorption, glucose is stuck in the bloodstream, and the sugar levels keep rising without any regulation. In response, the pancreas produces a large number of insulin hormones to regular glucose levels. Instead, the cells get overwhelmed with sugar, leading to limited insulin production.

Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes

Despite being an incurable condition, type 2 diabetes can be efficiently managed via smart strategies. Intermittent fasting can play an important role in managing the condition and even reversing it in some instances.

Thorough research conducted by BMJ Case Reports found that diabetic person who fasted for an extended period of time we’re able to get their blood sugar levels under the normal range. No strict diet conditions were imposed on the participants of the study. Many of them adopted different types of fasting, for instance, dry fasting, water fasting, and alternate-day fasting. At the end of the 10-month research, they did not need insulin medication to regular blood sugar levels. It was found that 24-hour fasting types can minimize or even eradicate the need for diabetic medications.

At the end of the study, the three participants were able to completely overcome the type 2 diabetes and did not need insulin medication anymore. It was concluded that 24-hour fasting methods could mitigate or even eliminate the need for diabetic medicines.

Many other pieces of research by experts and institutes like John Hopkins Hospital have also found that fasting is an efficient method of managing type 2 diabetes. Therefore, if you are a patient of type 2 diabetes and wish to minimize the impact of this condition in your daily life, you should adopt fasting in your daily routine.