References

Harcombe Z. Designed by the food industry for wealth, not health: the ‘Eatwell Guide’. Br J Sports Med. 2017; 51:(24)1730-1731 https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096297

Public Health England. The Eatwell Guide: helping you eat a healthy, balanced diet. 2018. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742750/Eatwell_Guide_booklet_2018v4.pdf (accessed 16 January 2023)

Unwin D, Delon C, Unwin J What predicts drug-free type 2 diabetes remission? Insights from an 8-year general practice service evaluation of a lower carbohydrate diet with weight loss. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2023; 0 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000544

Type 2 diabetes and remission through diet

02 February 2023
Volume 34 · Issue 2

Abstract

George Winter explores recent evidence showing that type 2 diabetes can be reversed using dietary changes

Peer-reviewed evidence refutes the idea that type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a progressive, irreversible, drug-dependent condition. For example, in 2021, a review published by the British Dietetic Association stated that ‘total dietary replacements and low-carbohydrate diets have been demonstrated as being effective in facilitating weight loss and remission of T2D.’ This is cited by the authors of a practical primary care-based study (Unwin et al, 2023) undertaken at Southport's Norwood surgery in northwest England, whose low-carbohydrate diet approach to T2D is helping revolutionise the condition's management.

Of 186 T2D patients who chose a low-carbohydrate approach — which included one-to-one GP consultations, plus group consultations and personal phone calls as necessary — not only did 97% improve their diabetic control, but 77% of those who had T2D for less than 1 year achieved drug-free remission in a matter of months. Further, Norwood surgery spent £4.94 per patient annually on diabetes drugs compared with £11.30 for local practices, translating to annual savings of £68 353 compared with the area average.

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