A fasting diet can actually be a good diabetes diet plan.
Although intermittent fasting is best known as a weight loss tool there has been a lot of interesting results found on the effectiveness of these fasting diet plans on other health conditions.
Research has pointed to intermittent diet programs as being useful in the prevention of both diabetes and heart disease.
What Researchers Say About Fasting Diets…
A report in the British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease by researchers at the Aston University verify that fasting diets have interesting spin-offs. While this form of dieting is a fast diet plan for weight loss, it has been proven to assist with cardiovascular health for overweight type 2 diabetics. The report goes on to point out that while diabetics can benefit from the fasting diet plan, it is not advisable without consultation with their diabetes care team.
The lead researcher on the study, Dr. James Brown, clearly states that the findings show that someone who has been diagnosed as being pre-diabetic would benefit from the diet plan. He also says those who are at risk of getting either diabetes or heart disease would find an intermittent diet program as an effective way to manage and reduce the factors that could lead to those diseases developing.
How Intermittent Fasting Assists Blood Sugar
Diabetes is a health condition that requires careful monitoring of blood sugar levels and managing them with specific eating and snacking meals. Dr. James Brown says that fasting is probably not considered the most logical diabetes diet plan but believes the reduced calorie intake on fasting days will help manage glucose in diabetics.
Brown’s research does show one more interesting point related to fasting diets and diabetes. He says that those managing type 2 diabetes with either insulin or drugs that are used to stimulate the pancreas to create more insulin should not use a fasting diet plan. Brown claims that it could result in complications including hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
Type 2 Diabetics Can Benefit from a Fasting Diet
Dr. Brown’s findings also show that for type 2 diabetics who are relatively new to the disease and are being treated with the drug metformin; and who are making changes to their diet and exercise will have far less a chance of developing hypoglycemic side effects when following a fasting diet. It is those individuals that Dr. Brown feels would gain the best results with intermittent eating as a diabetes diet plan.
His research does not end there, Dr. Brown is planning to conduct further and more detailed clinical trials to confirm his original findings and encourage other scientists to explore the possibility that fasting diets have much more benefits than just those seeking weight loss.
The Other Side of the Coin
The scientific proof points towards health benefit for diabetics who participate in the fasting diet but what do health care professionals think?
A Senior Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation had a lot to say about the diabetes diet plan. Victoria Taylor advised that fasting diets may not be the best alternative for those with diabetes especially when careful blood sugar monitoring is required along with medication to help regulate those levels. She also states that further research is needed to determine long-term effects of a diabetes diet plan and what the overall benefits are.
A proper weight and a diet filled with a good balance of different food groups along with nutrition all play important roles in reducing and managing the risks associated with diabetes and heart disease. Taylor suggests that anyone considering an intermittent diet to lose weight should consult with their doctor first to discuss possible side effects and complications.
The Bottom Line on this Diabetes Diet Plan
Scientific evidence shows that the fasting diet could be a useful tool in managing blood sugar levels in some diabetics such as type 2 diabetics but may be harmful to others. The fact that a fasting program will result in weight loss can help type 2 diabetics who require weight management to control this disease.
You can easily access healthy meal plans and recipes to lose weight and improve your health here. However just as you would for any new diet plan you should seek the advice of your doctor to determine if a diabetes diet plan that involves intermittent fasting is right for you.