Studies show that the 5:2 fasting diet can help you cut the risk of developing diabetes. So if you are worried about becoming diabetic or perhaps are already in the pre-diabetic stages then learning how this fasting diet works can only be a good thing to keep you from developing type 2 diabetes.
You may be wondering just how a fasting diet can assist in cutting the risk of becoming a type 2 diabetic in the future.
Research has shown many benefits from following a 5:2 fasting diet, including the added benefit that after 10 – 12 hours of fasting, the body starts searching for other sources of energy to keep going and can use LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) as energy, meaning there is less LDL floating around in the body.
What are the Signs and Causes of Diabetes?
If you do have diabetes, research indicates that a 5:2 fasting diet is beneficial.
There are many signs to diabetes but some of these signs are also symptoms of other illnesses so you should make a trip to your GP to confirm whether it is signs of diabetes or whether something else may be affecting your health and vitality.
The common warning signs of becoming diabetic include an increase in thirst and hunger, going to the bathroom more frequently, weight loss even when eating more, fatigue, blurred vision and headaches.
The causes of diabetes are widespread. While Type 1 is an auto-immune disease, Type 2 is often determined by your lifestyle and is brought on by a combination of factors. These include being 45 or older, overweight or obese, generally inactive, family background, high blood pressure or even things like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
How the 5:2 Fasting Diet can Help You Beat Diabetes
Of course, following a fasting diet is also known to help people lose weight and people tend to eat healthier when following a fasting diet, simply because you don’t get a lot of nutrients, let alone food, when eating 500 calories of junk food.
Followers of a 5:2 fasting diet also tend to drink more water, which has been linked with lower glucose levels meaning lower levels of sugar in the body.
While we know that the 5:2 diet can help followers lose weight, they also tend to lose fat, eat healthier and eat more mindfully – because you are restricted in calories you tend to be more mindful as to what you put in your mouth.
The 5:2 diet doesn’t just help those who are overweight or obese. Diabetics aren’t just people who are overweight or obese, although as mentioned above, these are factors which can lead to becoming diabetic. Research conducted around using a fasting diet and those who are classified as pre-diabetic has shown that the diet can help people who aren’t overweight.
Four Ways to Prevent You From Developing Diabetes
- Maintain a healthy body weight – a fasting diet can help you do this by helping you lose weight and fat
- Reducing high sugar foods – because the 5:2 diet has you cut back on calories, followers tend to cut out foods that don’t have good nutritional qualities such as high sugar foods
- Choosing good fats – it is important to ensure you are getting good fats from food to help reduce inflammation which in turn can help reduce insulin resistance
- Get some exercise – following a 5:2 diet will see you feeling better, therefore having more energy to get out and exercise.
The benefit of the fasting diet is that this is a way of life, not just a diet. Many people continue year after year on a fasting diet after initially discovering the benefits of weight loss but also improvements to other areas of their health. If you do have diabetes, while research does indicate that a 5:2 fasting diet is beneficial, you should speak to your treating GP about your individual circumstances so that you can be assured that following this fasting diet will only have the positive health benefits that you seek.
