Is Intermittent Fasting Safe For Diabetics

When May Intermittent Fasting Be Bad For Diabetics

Intermittent fasting may be challenging in two scenarios. Firstly, when a person is living with type 1 diabetes and taking insulin. In such cases, intermittent fasting has limited benefits. Moreover, it requires lots of changes to insulin therapy. Therefore, such individuals should never start intermittent fasting without consulting a doctor. Moreover, high insulin caused by periods of fasting may lead to life-threatening hypoglycemia.

The second category of diabetics to be careful with is those living with severe type 2 diabetes and taking insulin. These individuals may also have other severe issues like neuropathies, cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease. Thus, such individuals should practice a restrictive diet instead of an intermittent diet.

To conclude, intermittent fasting is good for diabetes. However, it is not for everyone living with diabetes. It may benefit most. But, in some cases, there is a risk of greater harm than good.

Is Intermittent Fasting Safe For Seniors

Intermittent fasting is an excellent way to lose fat, improve health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Time-restricted feeding is considered feasible and acceptable in sedentary older adults.

A study has revealed that intermittent fasting can be a practical strategy for older adults to maintain better health. In fact, the participants of this study had significant improvement in walking speed, on the six-minute walking test. By enhancing the mobility and physical performance of older adults, intermittent fasting can improve their quality of life.

Altogether studies indicate that calorie restriction combined with exercise is effective for weight loss in older adults. However, there is a mixed opinion regarding other outcomes. The various health risks of calorie restriction in the long term in older adults remain uncertain.

Most studies related to intermittent fasting are done on young and middle-aged people. If your weight range is ideal, intermittent fasting may make you lose too much weight and can also cause nutritional deficiency. In older adults, this may lead to loss of energy, low immunity, and weak bones.

Different Methods Of Fasting

There are a number of different diets that incorporates the principles of intermittent fasting. The two most well-known are:

Intermittent fasting can help you lose body fat and inches as it works out to approximately a 25% total calorie deficit for the week. However, you do need to be mindful of the foods you are eating in the fed state, if you overeat or are eating high-calorie foods then you wont see the weight reduction you are looking for.

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The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting

Fasting has long been known to provide health benefits like improving cholesterol and blood pressure helping with weight loss, anxiety and depression preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons and expanding synaptic plasticity . So not only does fasting help us physically but mentally as well.

One of the main benefits of intermittent fasting for those living with Type 2 is that it decreases visceral fat. When we fast, we take in less calories. Even when we eat normally, or slightly larger portions on our non-fasting days or during or non-fasting times, our overall caloric load is diminished, as are our glucose stores. When glucose is no longer available for energy, our body then uses ketones and our stored fat to compensate for the deficit. Eating calorically restricted diets or carb restricted diets can accomplish the same outcome, but many people find it easier to restrict food entirely for short periods of time than to eat less or avoid beloved foods at every single sitting. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to maintain lean mass and reduce fat mass more than traditional caloric restriction, meaning that muscle mass isnt lost at the same rate with IF as it is with CR.

Dial Back Your Dinner Hour

Research suggests that it is best to finish eating between 6 and 8 p.m. As bedtime approaches, melatonin increases and insulin output begins to drop. That means blood sugar climbs higher and circulates for longer because there isnt enough insulin to clear it quickly. Research has linked late-evening eating to a greater risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

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Before You Try Fasting

Talk to your doctor first. If you have type 1 diabetes, other health problems due to diabetes, or have had hypoglycemia, your doctor may recommend you not fast.

If your doctor says itâs OK to try, ask if you need to check your blood sugar more often or adjust your diabetes medication during and after fasting.

Watch for signs of low blood sugar. If you start to feel shaky, sweaty, or confused, your blood sugar may be too low. Stop fasting right away and do what you normally would to treat hypoglycemia. For example, eat a glucose gel or have a sugary drink followed by a small, balanced meal when your blood sugar level is back to normal.

Be careful about what you eat after fasting. Eating too many carbohydrates after fasting can cause your blood sugar levels to become too high. Choose healthy, balanced meals and snacks.

Use caution. Donât do tough workouts while youâre fasting. Hard exercise can make your blood sugar levels dip, which can lead to hypoglycemia. Ask your doctor what activities are OK to do, or just take a break.

Stay hydrated. Having diabetes puts you at risk of dehydration, which can make your blood sugar harder to manage. Drink lots of water and calorie-free beverages when you fast.

Kathryn A. Boling, MD, Mercy Medical Center.

CMAJ: âIntermittent fasting: the next big weight loss fad.â

Annual Review of Nutrition: âMetabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting.”

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center: âDoes Intermittent Fasting Work?â

Is Intermittent Fasting Safe For People With Type 1 Diabetes

Many people with type 1 diabetes have found that IF and TRF can help reduce morning blood sugar fluctuations and improve their energy. An observational study on people with type 1 diabetes who participated in various forms of IF/TRF found that these eating schedules can be safe as long as the individual works with their healthcare professional to reduce their usual insulin dose while fasting, and they must monitor their glucose levels carefully to avoid hypoglycemia. Fasting will also increase your ketone levels, so it is important to test your blood ketone levels if you have type 1 diabetes to avoid the risk of ketoacidosis. Remember that people with type 1 diabetes absolutely require insulin to avoid DKA, so insulin dose adjustment to avoid low glucose levels must be done cautiously.

For anyone with diabetes, before trying any type of fasting you should talk to your healthcare professional. For people who take sulfonylureas or insulin, it is important to closely monitor blood sugar levels, especially when you first start a fasting regimen, as dose reductions may be necessary to avoid hypoglycemia. Never stop taking a medication or change its dosage without consulting your healthcare professional first.

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S To Take Before You Try The Popular Diet Plan

Talk to your doctor. Before starting an IF plan, talk to your doctor to come up with a safe approach and management plan for you, as well as to adjust any of your medication doses. Those people on insulin should be particularly careful: If youre on it and restrict eating, you may be at a greater risk of low blood sugar, which can lead to life-threatening symptoms, such as dizziness, confusion, seizures, loss of consciousness, or even death, according to the American Diabetes Association. Low blood sugar is very dangerous for a diabetic person, Gandhi says.

Find a plan that works for you. Plans for IF vary from those that restrict calories two or three days a week and those that restrict eating to certain periods of the day to more strict plans that include fasting for up to 36 hours at a time for 7 or 14 days. The key is to find a plan that you can stick with for the long term.

Be prepared for side effects. Its common to have headaches, cramps, constipation, or diarrhea, at least initially. If youre feeling very unwell, stop. You might be hungry, but you shouldnt be lethargic or throwing up, Dr. Fung says.

Eat healthily. Your diet should consist of whole, unprocessed foods, including nonstarchy vegetables, protein, and healthy fats, as well as a multivitamin and plenty of water to prevent dehydration and headaches. A healthy diet will help you lose or manage your weight and keep your blood sugar level steady.

Can If Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

In one small case series, three men were able to reverse their insulin resistance due to IF, allowing them to maintain control of their blood sugar levels even after ceasing insulin therapy. In addition, they experienced weight loss, a reduction in waist circumference, and a decrease in hemoglobin A1c levels.

However, as relapse of diabetes is a possibility, it is more accurate to say that these individuals are in remission.

In another study, the , the researchers randomized the participants to one of two groups: weight management or pharmacological therapy. They found that 46% of the participants in the weight management group achieved diabetes remission.

Still, the research to date remains limited, and further studies are necessary.

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What An Intermittent Fasting Schedule Looks Like

There are a lot of different ways you can approach fasting, and after doing this for several years on and off, Ive found I can flexibly create my own approach that feels most natural to me.

Here are 3 of the most popular fasting schedules, adapted from Dr. John Berardis guide to intermittent fasting:

• 24-hour fast: You eat dinner on Thursday , and then you dont eat again until dinner on Friday. This should generally only be performed once per week.
• 16-hour fast: You eat dinner on Thursday , and then you dont eat again until 1 or 2 p.m. the next day. Its important to note that you should still eat a normal days worth of calories during that 8-hour eating window. If youre trying to lose weight, that amount of calories might only be 1200 to 1600, but you still need to get your calories while following a fasting program.
• Periodic fast: You suddenly decide to go 24 hours without eating, unrelated to your fasting or eating schedule throughout the rest of week. I like using it when I know Im going to be eating a really heavy meal . Ive also used this when I know Im going to be sitting in a car for a long time on a road-trip, or if I know Im going to be somewhere new with my kids and I really dont want to risk any low or high blood sugars I just want to remove diabetes from the equation altogether so Ill fast as long as I can that day.

These Are The Notable Benefits Of Doing Intermittent Fasting

While some people swear that intermittent fasting will completely change your life, those claims are a little overblown. Still, theres some research to suggest that IF has perks. Those include:

• Weight loss. This has a bit of an asterisk. While research has found a link between intermittent fasting and weight loss, there isnt much proof that IF is better than any other diet for weight loss. One meta-analysis published in the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, for example, found that intermittent fasting had similar weight-loss results to a traditional calorie-restricted diet. Generally due to a reduced window of eating, caloric intake tends to be lower, Dr. Céspedes explains.
• Lowered blood pressure. The Cell Metabolism study of men with prediabetes also found that the men who followed a 16:8 schedule of intermittent fasting significantly lowered their blood pressure.
• Appetite control. It seems a little odd that restricting when you eat can help but research has linked lower levels of hunger with IF. A study published in the journal Obesityfound that people who only ate during a six-hour window felt less hungry than the control group, who followed a normal eating pattern. That was true even though both groups ate the same amount of calories.

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Could Any Diet Takeaways From If Be Helpful For People With Type 2 Diabetes

There are a few diet takeaways from the science of IF. Insulin sensitivity changes with a circadian rhythm, decreasing throughout the day and into the night. Therefore, meals that a person consumes at night are associated with higher glucose and insulin levels.

Liming the hours of eating to a time earlier in the day for example, selecting an 8-hour window between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. or even 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is effective in boosting metabolism and aiding in weight loss.

People should also try to avoid eating and snacking shortly before going to bed. Not snacking between meals will facilitate the metabolic switch from the use of glucose for energy to the use of fat.

A balanced diet is also important, so people should avoid sugars and processed carbohydrates, focusing instead on eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and healthy fats.

Perhaps the most important factor, though, is that people choose an eating plan that they can sustain in the long term.

Dr. Kelly N. Wood, M.D., is an internal medicine physician who is board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. She earned her medical degree from The University of the West Indies in Barbados before relocating to the United States in 2006. Dr. Kelly is currently in clinical practice in Atlanta, GA.

Can Intermittent Fasting Cure Type 2 Diabetes

Question: I have type 2 diabetes and Ive heard that intermittent fasting could cure me. Is this true?

Answer: In recent years, intermittent fasting has emerged as a novel way of treating patients with type 2 diabetes. There are anecdotal reports of patients who have lost weight, their blood sugar levels have improved significantly, and they no longer need to take their diabetes medications. Their disease appears to be in remission if not exactly cured.

However, endocrinologists the doctors who routinely treat diabetes as well as dietitians, are skeptical. They point to a lack of major studies that prove this approach is effective and safe long term. After all, intermittent fasting requires a big change in eating habits and it remains to be seen how many people can stick with it.

The first thing you need to know is that there are different ways of doing intermittent fasting which is basically not eating for certain periods of time.

For instance, you could restrict your consumption of food to just eight hours a day say from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and eat nothing else for the other 16 hours.

Or, you might have just one meal a day and then fast for 24 hours.

Another approach is to eat normally on some days of the week, while significantly curbing calories on other days.

Fasting has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Most of the major religions encourage their believers to restrict food intake during certain times.

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Study Cohort And Inclusion/exclusion Criteria

All Kuwaiti residents with T1DM aged 18 years attending Dasman Diabetes Institute for their diabetes care who chose to fast during Ramadan were assessed for suitability by the diabetes care multi-disciplinary team at Central DAFNE Kuwait. Exclusion criteria included 1 episodes of severe hypoglycemia in the previous 12 months, poor diabetes control defined as HbA1C> 75 mmol/mol , established kidney disease defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 with or without albuminuria, T1DM diagnosed < 1 year ago, 1 episodes of DKA in the previous 12 months, inability to monitor capillary glucose for a minimum of 4 times a day, not being DAFNE graduate, inability to attend Ramadan-specific DAFNE workshop before beginning of Ramadan 2018, and treatment with pre-mixed insulin preparations. Patients with any of these conditions were advised against fasting.

What Is Intermittent Fasting

First let’s start with the basics of intermittent fasting. Most people think IF is a diet, but it’s actually more of an umbrella term for several different eating patterns that involve some form of fasting during a designated period of time .

A lot of the research on IF looks at the daily time-restricted feeding approach, where people or mice are fed meals within a designated time frame throughout the day, usually an 8-hour feeding window and a 16-hour fasting window. For example, one might fast for 16 hours, then eat in an 8-hour window from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Other common IF protocols are the alternate-day fasting approach and the 5:2 fasting approach. For ADF, you consume about 500 to 700 calories every other day, and eat a regular diet on non-fasting days. The 5:2 approach has a similar concept, but fasting is limited to twice a week instead of every other day.

Regardless of the method, IF may be an attractive alternative to traditional methods of reducing calories because it can be less cumbersome, more flexible and more intuitive, especially for people who tend to skip breakfast or eat less on the weekends.

That being said, it’s definitely not for everyone, and people with diabetes have other factors to consider .

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How Does Insulin Resistance Happen

The obesity or weight-related spectrum of conditions has varied labels.

• Insulin Resistance.

Insulin Resistance isnt just for some people. It holds no prejudice. It develops in every body.

So then, how does insulin resistance happen?

The body, over time, grows resistant to insulin to some degree because insulin has been signaling your cells throughout your entire lifetime every time you eat and every time you experience an emotional rise or feel stressed. Insulin becomes especially overly present in a body that has been over-fueled, burdened, or over-loaded with glucose. Glucose is the sugar that foods break down into during digestion.

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