A low-calorie diet cured patients of diabetes and hypertension in just a few weeks

In an experiment, researchers from Newcastle University developed a special diet program for patients with diabetes and hypertension. It allowed the participants not only to lose weight but also to discontinue the medication they used to control the symptoms of diabetes and hypertension. Many of them stopped taking medication from the first week and are still healthy. The results of the experiment are published in the journal Diabetologia.

The scientists evaluated the effectiveness and safety of drug withdrawal in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension by following a special diet. The dietary program they developed included consumption of no more than 800 kilocalories per day and was designed for 12 weeks.

There were 143 participants: all of them were diagnosed with diabetes and 78 of them also had hypertension. Some of them took two or more medications for blood pressure control.

The patients managed to lose an average of 15 kilograms during the entire diet. The medications were stopped from the first week - they were only given if blood sugar or blood pressure rose.

The first results showed that with the loss of excess weight the participants' blood pressure levels decreased in most cases. The effect was maintained for two years of follow-up with the volunteers. The same effect was achieved for type 2 diabetes: negative symptoms decreased as they lost weight.

"We showed that with significant weight loss and maintenance of this form, later on, patients can effectively control hypertension and diabetes without medication," commented study author Roy Taylor. - "Today, doctors recommend starting medications, but there are so few examples of how pills can be stopped.

Diabetes remission was maintained for at least two years in the 53 participants who maintained physical fitness. Among the 78 patients who were taking medication for hypertension, 65 were able to stop taking it completely.

Some volunteers reported that sticking to 800 calories a day was difficult only for the first few days, but then they got used to it. 

Thus, only by following a low-calorie diet, it is possible not only to lose weight effectively but also to give up medication without negative consequences. 

June 2, 2021, 10:31 a.m.

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