Diabetes Vaccine

A friend of mine called in distress. He was told by his primary care doctor that his blood sugar was in the range of prediabetes. He was advised to recheck his blood sugar in 6 months, at which time it would be decided if diabetes medicine was needed.

Sadly, that advice is given all too often—passive waiting until meds are needed. But fortunately, there’s a highly potent lifestyle approach that drastically reduces the risk of diabetes. So powerful, it’s practically a diabetes vaccine.

Scope of the Diabetes Problem

The scope is enormous: 38% of adults in the United States are “prediabetic,” defined as those with a blood sugar level that is above normal, but does not quite reach the threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes. Add that to 14% of the population who are already diabetic, and we have the sum total of just over 50% of the U.S. who are either borderline or full-blown diabetic.

Sadly, many at risk for diabetes are not advised of the powerful lifestyle-based treatment at their disposal. And equally unfortunate, those already diagnosed with type II (adult-onset) diabetes are often mistakenly told that it is a life long disease. Nothing could be further from the truth. And the stakes are high, as the worst complications of diabetes include premature heart disease, blindness and amputations.

The Lifestyle-Based Diabetes Vaccine

The key to understanding the potency of lifestyle for prevention of diabetes is a remarkable study, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).

DPP studied more than 3,000 prediabetics who were randomly assigned to either no treatment, lifestyle changes, or metformin (a potent blood sugar medication). Compared to those who were left alone, the drug-treated group had a 31% lower risk of developing diabetes.

But here’s the real kicker: people with prediabetes assigned to intensive lifestyle therapy did even better, with a 58% lower risk of diabetes. That means that lifestyle changes were nearly twice as effective as the most potent diabetes medication.

And what lifestyle changes were called for in this study? Surprisingly, not all that much. The lifestyle intervention included two and a half hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking. That could be 30 minutes, 5 days a week. And dietary changes were a low-calorie, low-fat diet that resulted in an average 12-pound weight loss.

The initial DPP study lasted just short of 3 years. A 10 year follow-up of the original study of individuals with prediabetes   showed that the lifestyle advantage was durable—again with lifestyle changes demonstrating nearly double the protection from moving on to full diabetes compared to those who received medication.

Is Type II Diabetes a Life-Long Condition?

It’s important to distinguish Type I diabetes (formerly called juvenile diabetes) from Type II (formerly adult-onset diabetes). Type I diabetes typically occurs in children and young adults and the underlying cause is not known, but clearly not rooted in lifestyle. Type I diabetes accounts for only about 5% of all cases.

By contrast, Type II diabetes, by far the most common, is primarily a disease of lifestyle—largely a function of weight, diet, and physical activity.

For the roughly 27 million Americans with Type II diabetes, is the diagnosis a lifetime sentence? A recent study suggests that for a good many, the answer is no—using a provocative new lifestyle approach.

In this small trial, 30 Type II diabetics ate a very low-calorie diet for 8 weeks. The diet consisted of a liquid food replacement with added whole vegetables. Total caloric intake was just under 700 calories. After 8 weeks, the diet was gradually liberalized to return to the the individual’s original eating pattern.

Eight weeks on this diet led to an average 31-pound weight loss. Surprisingly, the weight loss persisted over the 6-month trial period despite the fact that the strict dietary restriction was only in place the first 8 weeks.

Even more surprising was that, for 40% of the diabetics, blood sugar levels normalized even after they reverted to their original diet. And by 6 months, 43% of the “diabetics” still had normal sugar levels and, as such, lost their diagnosis of diabetes.

This study was small with relatively short follow-up and the methods are clearly not yet ready for prime time—but they do support the principle that Type II diabetes does not have to be a long-term diagnosis. All the more intriguing that an 8-week dietary intervention could have such prolonged benefit.

Diagnosed as Diabetic or Prediabetic? Be Proactive!

Maintenance of normal blood sugar levels is a major health goal. And a relevant one at that, given the fact that every other adult American is either a borderline or confirmed diabetic.

Don’t ever settle for the diagnosis of Type II diabetes. If you have been told, like my friend, that your sugar level is on the rise, don’t wait for the other shoe to drop. Ask your doctor what you can do with lifestyle to stay clear of diabetes.

And if you already carry the diagnosis of Type II diabetes, lifestyle changes can reduce your reliance on medication, and possibly help you to say goodbye to that diabetes diagnosis for good!

Don’t miss out on the benefits of simple lifestyle changes—a virtual vaccine against diabetes.

References:

How Common is Diabetes in the U.S.?

Original Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Study

10 Year Follow Up of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Study

Short Term Very Low Calorie Diet and Diabetes