Effect of Intermittent Compared With Continuous Energy Restricted Diet on Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

(Todd Allen) #1

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2688344

Key Points
Question Is intermittent energy restriction comparable to continuous energy restriction for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes?

Findings In this randomized noninferiority trial, the mean change in hemoglobin A1c level after 12 months in the intermittent energy restriction group (–0.3%) was comparable to that of the continuous energy restriction group (–0.5%), reaching the criterion for equivalence in intention-to-treat and completers analysis.

Meaning Intermittent energy restriction is comparable to continuous energy restriction for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

(bulkbiker) #2

Although to be honest neither cohort performed particularly well… if only they had included a group who did fasting instead rather than just 2 types of caloric restriction I wonder if we would have seen even better results? We’ll never know.

(Todd Allen) #3

Here’s an interview of Sarah Hallberg of Virta Health where she discusses their results reversing T2D and getting people off their meds using a keto diet, much better than the results of this study where they are merely improving blood sugar control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMtBvQKaSbM

While Virta’s success is good, I wonder if they incorporated fasting if they might get a larger percentage off meds?

(bulkbiker) #4

I’m inclined to agree… if they got Dr Fung on board as well as Phinney and Volek then they could thrash out the fasting issue… unfortunately with Phinney’s antipathy towards fasting generally I think they could well be missing a trick. I intermittent fast daily and credit that equally with keto for weight loss and significant lowering of HbA1c numbers as well as occasional extended fasts.

(Todd Allen) #5

I’ve been doing a variety of fasting, time restricted feeding, a few 1 day fasts per month and every 3 to 6 months I’ll do an extended fast of several days. I’ve seen benefits in every form of fasting but I think of it as supplemental to keto. Keto got me pretty far and perhaps would have gotten me farther on its own if I had the patience. And without keto I’d find fasting more challenging and probably less effective.

(bulkbiker) #6

I think they make an extremely powerful pairing and recommend both on another forum where I’m a bit more active than here. (UK based)