The headline is a bit misleading. We have previously known diabetes is reversible with low calorie diets. This study was notable for two things:
(1) finding that this holds true even six years into mild diabetes (previous studies were on much more recent diagnoses). This is useful information because of the widely held misconception that type 2 diabetes is just a disease of insulin insensitivity. Actually, over time, islet amyloid peptide is deposited in the pancreas where it slowly kills off beta cells and removes your ability to actually produce insulin. In effect (though not literally nor in every particular), type 2 dm slowly transitions into type 1. So it’s useful to know that six years out the pancreas is functioning well enough to allow dietary reversal.
(2) being funded by a private company pushing a meal replacement-and-weight loss coaching program, which used this private program as the intervention arm. Turns out that, yes, if you live on slimfast for 3 months you’ll lose weight and your diabetes will calm down.
That Lancet didn’t exactly lead with that latter point, oddly enough. The co is pushing for the NHS to fund their program in more locations, under the argument that bariatric surgery isn’t available to everyone. This is part of their PR push.
(1) finding that this holds true even six years into mild diabetes (previous studies were on much more recent diagnoses). This is useful information because of the widely held misconception that type 2 diabetes is just a disease of insulin insensitivity. Actually, over time, islet amyloid peptide is deposited in the pancreas where it slowly kills off beta cells and removes your ability to actually produce insulin. In effect (though not literally nor in every particular), type 2 dm slowly transitions into type 1. So it’s useful to know that six years out the pancreas is functioning well enough to allow dietary reversal.
(2) being funded by a private company pushing a meal replacement-and-weight loss coaching program, which used this private program as the intervention arm. Turns out that, yes, if you live on slimfast for 3 months you’ll lose weight and your diabetes will calm down.
That Lancet didn’t exactly lead with that latter point, oddly enough. The co is pushing for the NHS to fund their program in more locations, under the argument that bariatric surgery isn’t available to everyone. This is part of their PR push.