Ever heard of the benefits of intermittent fasting for diabetes? It’s a big deal these days in the world of health and nutrition. As you may know, managing blood sugar levels can be a real challenge for those with diabetes. That’s where intermittent fasting comes in.

What Is Intermittent Fasting For Diabetes?

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern. It involves switching between periods of eating and fasting.

And guess what?

It can offer some serious health benefits. Like better insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control.

But hold up! If you’re living with diabetes, there are some things you should know before giving it a try.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the ups and downs of intermittent fasting with diabetes.

And we’ll share some tips to help you safely incorporate the fasting your diabetes management routine.

Why You Should Consider Intermittent Fasting If You Have Diabetes

Those who fast regularly experience many health benefits.

According to new research, fasting can protect the brain from dementia, reduce breast cancer risk, and potentially reverse diabetes.

How?

With repeated stimulation of the pancreas, the pancreatic cells can be reprogrammed.

And once reprogrammed, the cells can then form insulin again.

Of course, certain fasting rules have to be monitored in diabetes to keep the blood glucose level up.

Can I Fast If I’m a Diabetic?

Intermittent fasting may be helpful if you have diabetes, but it’s not a mainstream treatment.

The American Diabetes Association doesn’t recommend it as a technique for diabetes management.

The association says that lifestyle changes are the cornerstones of diabetes management. Including medical treatment, balanced nutrition, therapy and more physical activity.

Yet, some studies suggest that fasting may have benefits for people with diabetes. Such as weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.

Before you attempt fasting with diabetes, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional.

What Are the Risks of Fasting With Diabetes?

Because diabetes is a serious condition, let’s start with a little bit of caution. Let’s talk about the risks first.

Fasting with diabetes can be risky and requires careful consideration.

Here are the greatest risk factors.

1. Low Glucose Levels

The biggest danger of fasting is that your blood sugar levels could go dangerously low.

In other words, you can get hypoglycaemia.

Especially if you take medication like insulin to control your diabetes.

Hypoglycaemia can cause unpleasant symptoms. These are rapid heart rate, sweating, shakiness, weakness, seizures, or even death.

2. Dehydration

Dehydration is another concern.

High blood glucose causes general dehydration in the body. And people with type 2 diabetes are already at elevated risk.

Intermittent fasting may further increase these risks if you’re drinking or eating less than you normally would.

3. Nutrient Deficiency

There are several potential health concerns associated with intermittent fasting.

Nutrient deficiencies, inadequate protein intake, and other forms of malnutrition, to name a few.

What Are the Benefits of Fasting For Diabetics?

In a study with human pancreatic cells, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) discovered interesting things.

They discovered that regular fasting periods can have extremely beneficial effects on diabetes.

So what are these benefits and what can fasting do for you?

Firstly, fasting helps stabilize the blood glucose levels.

Secondly, fasting can also trigger the formation of new pancreatic cells.

Thirdly, the new pancreatic cells then replace the old non-functional pancreatic cells.

According to researchers, the results of their work suggest a healing effect of fasting on diabetic patients.

Incredible, isn’t it?

To learn a bit more, let’s dive a bit deeper into the science behind the fasting and diabetes.

How Fasting Helps With Diabetes Type 1 or 2, Backed By Science

Now you have a broad idea of how fasting can help with diabetes.

The following section goes into a little more scientific detail.

Just in case you wish to follow up on some information.

But don’t worry, I’ll try to keep it simple.

So…

In type 1 diabetes and in the late stage of type 2 diabetes, the pancreas loses more and more of its insulin-producing cells (beta cells).

Because of this loss, the instability of the blood glucose level increases.

This is where findings of Professor Valter Longo come into play. Professor Longo is the head of the Longevity Institute of the University of Southern Caifornia. He’s associated with Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

His findings indicate that the pattern of recurring fasting periods increase the amount of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, after a short time.

The findings also show that fasting promotes insulin secretion for both type 1 diabetes and for type 2 diabetes.

Further, this research shows that after the intermittent fasting regimen, diabetes symptoms improved in both types of diabetic patients.

Professor Longo’s experiments showed that fasting reactivated the inactive pancreatic cells of type 1 patients to functional cells.

That’s even TYPE 1 my friend!

Let me say that again.

Yes, the pancreatic cells became functional in both Type 1 and Type 2 patients.

This is incredible and amazing news!

Considering the mainstream science tells us that Type 1 diabetes is irreversible, this makes me super optimistic.

What Happens When You Do Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes

Do you want to know a little bit more about HOW the reversal happens?

Fasting appears to be activated in the cell genes. These genes are normally active only during the embryonic period, ie when the pancreas develops.

They provide for the formation of a certain protein. It’s called neurogenin-3 and is abbreviated with Ngn3.

And this protein is a key substance that initiates the formation of new insulin-producing beta cells.

So to sum up.

When you practise intermittent fasting again and again between phases of a normal diet, those pancreatic cells that can no longer produce insulin change back into insulin-producing cells, says Longo.

First Things First

I know it’s annoying, but I must remind you.

So first of all – before you embark on intermittent fasting regimen, talk to your doctor.

It’s important to talk to a doctor before attempting to fast with diabetes.

If you do choose to fast, your doctor and diabetes care team will teach you about managing diabetes and adjusting medications or insulin doses.

They can explain the potential risks of complications, such as low or high blood sugar and dehydration.

They should also discuss how fasting may affect how much insulin medication you need.

According to some of the recent studies, people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, who stuck with a fasting plan, were able to lower their insulin dose.

Whatever the case and whatever your type, it’s important to carefully follow your doctor’s recommendations.

And they may suggest avoiding fasting if you’re at high risk of complications.

How To Do Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes

Professor Longo is currently planning the first clinical trials with the fasting method.

Although, at the time of my writing this may have already taken place. And I can’t wait to catch up on the new findings!

He’s sure that one day diabetics will be officially recommended by their doctors for fasting regimens.

He recommends five days of fasting per month could be enough to cure diabetes.

According to Longo, this can lead to healthy insulin formation and a balanced blood glucose level.

The best thing about this is that it’s totally doable.

If you do 16-8 program, it really isn’t that difficult. Even if you do like your food.

This means that you don’t eat anything for 16 hours and then you take your meals during the remaining 8 hours of the day.

You can schedule you intermittent fasting routine so that your sleep falls within those 16 hours.

How To Manage Diabetes During Intermittent Fasting

Before you begin, you must do a fasting prep.

What does this mean?

Fasting with diabetes requires careful consideration and planning.

Diabetics fasting must be aided by your doctor.

Therefore, it’s important to check in with your healthcare team before deciding to fast.

You’ll need to know how fasting could be a risk to your health, how to reduce this risk, or whether the risk to your health is too high.

Before you begin fasting, your diabetes team can advise you on what to do with your medication and how to manage your diabetes well.

For example, your diabetes team may advise you to change the time, type or dose of medication to ensure your blood sugar levels stay within a safe range.

Blood Glucose Levels and Fasting

It’s important to discuss how to manage blood sugars during fasting with your healthcare team.

After all, your blood glucose levels have to be closely checked during this time. And your medication must be adapted accordingly.

Always test your blood glucose while you’re fasting.

Monitor glucose levels regularly and have a plan for what to do if you have either high and low level events.

This means that you must understand the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and what to do if it happens.

If you do go low, break the fast immediately and treat the hypo with fast-acting glucose.

Equally, if you have high blood sugars, it’s important to break the fast and drink some sugar-free fluids. This will reduce the risk of dehydration and DKA.

What To Eat and What Not To Eat During Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes

To avoid massive fluctuations in glucose levels, it’s a good idea to include more slowly absorbed foods with a lower glycemic index just before you begin the fast.

Another thing you should prioritise is to maintain a balanced diet. This should apply to the fasting and non-fasting periods.

Therefore, include foods from all of the food groups.

Choose meals that combine protein, fiber and healthy carbohydrates to keep blood sugar levels balanced.

Stick to higher-fat, lower-carb foods when you’re planning your meals.

Eat types of foods that will help to fill you up and keep your blood glucose levels more even during the course of the fast.

Limit the amount of fatty or sugary foods and try grilling or baking instead of frying.

And lastly, when it comes to food, it’s important not to overeat, whether you’re fasting or not. Moderation is key.

What To Drink and What Not To Drink During Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes

It’s also important to stay hydrated to help manage blood sugar levels.

Make sure to drink additional fluids during the fasting period to reduce the risk of dehydration and hypotension.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of sugar-free fluids, such as water.

Try to avoid sugary fizzy drinks or fruit juices as these will raise your blood sugar and could cause dehydration.

Mental Wellbeing During Intermittent Fasting With Diabetes

This may be an odd one, but you should also monitor your mood while fasting.

Fasting can positively affect your mental state if you have diabetes. Some studies suggest that fasting can lead to improvements in mood, alertness, and a sense of tranquility in people with mood disorders.

However, a study conducted in people with type 2 diabetes showed that daily negative mood affects fasting glucose levels.

So if you have any pre-existing feelings of depression, fasting can lead to worse outcomes in diabetes such as poorer glycaemic control.

It’s important to monitor mood during fasting and address negative affect.

Final Summary

So what does it all mean for you, in plain English, in your daily life?

Fasting may have various health benefits for people with diabetes.

Including promoting weight loss, improving insulin sensitivity, and normalizing fasting blood glucose levels.

After a period of fasting, insulin sensitivity increases and insulin levels decrease.

Resulting in improved blood sugar levels both during fasting and shortly after eating.

However, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before attempting to fast with diabetes.

This is because fasting can cause blood sugar levels to go dangerously low.

Especially if you take medication like insulin to control your diabetes.

Medication doses may need to be adjusted on days of intermittent fasting.

Remember to maintain a balanced, nutrients-rich diet to keep glucose in check.

It’s also important to drink additional fluids during the fasting period to reduce the risk of dehydration and hypotension.

Did you know?

Fasting is Helpful Even In Multiple Sclerosis

The study by Professor Longo was published in the journal Cell on February 23, 2017.

This study is the last of a series of studies dealing with the health benefits of fasting, particularly intermittent fasting.

The results showed that the described form of the fast aren’t only highly recommended for diabetes.

Fasting is also beneficial for the cardiovascular system, as an excellent anti-aging treatment, as well as cancer prevention and even in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Definitely worth a shot.

Resources: A diet that mimics fasting may reverse Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

Photo Credits:

Joanna Kosinska, Nadine Primeau, Artem Podrez, Ksenia Chernaya, Mikhail Nilov, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Polina Tankilevitch

Disclaimer

This article was written by Zuzana Halliwell. I am not a doctor or health professional and cannot be held liable for the information written here. This article is meant to provide information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and diet. The content is based on my own personal experience and on information provided by medical professionals that is available to the public. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Do not use it as an alternative to seeking help from a medical professional.