I like the idea of a glucose tolerance test with a much smaller amount of glucose used. One thing here--are you trying to be average, or are you trying to improve your own metabolism? Whether you know what an ideal curve should look like or not, you'll know from test to test whether you've improved, at least, the closer to flat your blood glucose changes get, the better.
Beta cell regeneration? Maybe. One thing you have to remember, people are fairly reluctant to donate bits of their pancreas in exchange for $50 and an "I helped science fight diabetes" t-shirt, or whatever it is people get in exchange for being in a clinical trial.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed...betic-pancreas/
Fasting diet may help regenerate a diabetic pancreas
Fri, 24 Feb 2017 12:33:00 EST
"The pancreas can be triggered to regenerate itself through a type of fasting diet, say US researchers," BBC News reports.
Quote:
Research in mice found a low-calorie diet may help in cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The pancreas is an organ that uses specialised cells known as beta cells to produce the hormone insulin, which the body uses to break down sugars in the blood (glucose).
In type 1 diabetes the pancreas stops producing insulin. In type 2 diabetes either not enough insulin is produced or cells in the body fail to respond to insulin (insulin resistance).
Mice were fed for four days on a low-calorie, low-protein and low-carbohydrate but high-fat diet, receiving half their normal daily calorie intake on day one, followed by three days of 10% of their normal calorie intake.
Researchers repeated this fast on three occasions, with 10 days of refeeding in between. They then examined the pancreas.
They found in mice modelled to have both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, insulin production was restored, insulin resistance was reduced, and beta cells could be regenerated. Early lab study involving human cell samples showed similar potential.
These are promising results, but further studies are needed to validate these findings in humans.
If you have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you shouldn't attempt a fasting diet without first seeking medical advice. A sudden change in your calorie intake could have unpredictable effects and lead to complications.
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The Newcastle people got at least two out of three in their longer but less stringent 800 calorie a day, 8 week program, reduced insulin resistance and normalization of insulin production. Beta cell regeneration? We can't assume that it occurred, but I don't think we can assume that it didn't, either. There seems to be a repeating theme of improvements in stem cell pools with fasting.
Something I wonder about. The reversal of diabetes with gastric bypass often comes with the complication of hypoglycemia. If these people just gain the weight back, maybe the hypoglycemia would resolve--which sort of begs the question of whether the tendency to hypoglycemia at a lower body weight was what prompted the "overeating" and development of type II in the first place. The idea of a sort of pre-prediabetes that involves a tendency to hypoglycemia is an old one;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar...s00407-0017.pdf
Quote:
FUNCTIONAL HYPOGLYCEMIA,
THE LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND DIABETES
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The authors of this study warn that a 3 hour glucose tolerance test is not long enough. I've seen various low carb doctors suggest that less than 5 hours is insufficient, maybe this is their source (besides their own clinical experience).
Out of 238 obese subjects, 60 percent gave a "normal" glucose tolerance to the 3 hour mark. But 42.5 percent of the subjects had a normal glucose tolerance at 3 hours, but a hypoglycemic response at 4 hours.
Quote:
Thirty-five obese patients with functional hypoglycemia
treated by diet alone were observed by annual
repetition of the testing procedure for four years. Thirteen
patients who continuously lost weight had a progressive
improvement of the glucose tolerance test; in
eight of these, the glucose tolerance test returned to
normal. However, the 18 obese subjects who failed to
lose weight or gained further weight demonstrated
gradual further deterioration in carbohydrate tolerance.
These included three patients who became overt diabetics.
Four patients were lost for follow-up.
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