Can you reverse diabetes?
Author: Dr. Raymond Ishman from Cenegenics
Diabetes is a major health problem in the U.S. and worldwide. According to the CDC, 34 million people (10.5% of the U.S. population) have diabetes. Another 88 million people have prediabetes. That is a total of 35% of the U.S. population with diabetes or prediabetes. This is no surprise with the adult obesity rate of 42% in the U.S.. What’s worse is that from 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. Add in those who are overweight and the numbers are staggering!
The vast majority of diabetes is Type 2, often referred to as adult onset diabetes, is the direct result of being overweight or obese. A large percentage of people with type 2 diabetes could cure their diabetes by improving body composition with proper diet and regular exercise.
Hormonal factors can also affect diabetes. Diabetic men frequently have low testosterone levels which can lead to:
*Increased risk of cardiovascular events (heart attacks and strokes)
*Erectile dysfunction, common in diabetics and often attributed to neuropathy
*Increased abdominal obesity
*Cognitive decline
In diabetic men, low testosterone predicts an increase in all-cause mortality (the risk of dying from any cause).
Numerous studies over the years in respected medical journals have documented a positive effect from testosterone replacement in men with metabolic syndrome and diabetes, leading to reduced insulin resistance, improved glucose and cholesterol, reduced abdominal obesity and a reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But what about long term data? A study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in June of 2020 provides this long term data. This study followed 356 diabetic men with testosterone levels below 350ng/ml for 11 years. All received standard diabetes treatments. Half of them were treated with testosterone. Of those treated with testosterone:
*34.3% achieved remission of their diabetes
*46.6% achieved normal glucose regulation
*83% reached the HbA1c target of 6.5%
*90% achieved the HbA1c target of 7.0%
By contrast in the control group:
*No remission of diabetes
*No reduction in glucose or HbA1c levels
There were fewer deaths, heart attacks, strokes and diabetic complications in the testosterone-treated group.
This study confirms our experience at Cenegenics. With aggressive dietary and exercise interventions combined with therapeutic hormone replacement where appropriate, we see results significantly better than those reported in this study, and far superior to standard diabetic care.
A few final thoughts for diabetics and anyone looking to improve their body composition and overall health:
*Perceptions are a problem. Many people who think they are only a few pounds overweight are actually obese. Their view of obesity is actually morbid or severe obesity. Why is this? When we look around and compare ourselves to a population that is 43% obese, and countless more overweight, we think, “I’m not that bad.”
*Consistency is the key to long-term success. Making small improvements in dietary and exercise habits that can consistently be followed, and then building on that is much more likely to sustain long term results.
*Making radical changes in diet and exercise can rarely be maintained long term. Although some patients are successful in doing so, this is not the norm.
*Frequent contact with your Cenegenics physician and exercise/nutrition counsellor, follow up labs and annual exams help keep you on track to maintain consistent, long term progress.
If you would like more information about how to work with us please call us on 020 7052 0070 or visit our website: https://smartlifeuk.com/