Is sporadic Fasting a Good Option for Diabetics?

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern in which you eat little to no food for a period of time before eating regular meals.

It mainly focuses on regulating the schedule of when you eat and drink, rather than the meals on your plate, unlike many other diets. For some people, intermittent fasting may be able to put diabetes into remission, possibly due to weight loss. In 2018, three patients with type 2 diabetes were analyzed in a study. The patients were given insulin and fasted at least three times a week. It was discovered after a month that the patients no longer need insulin prescriptions.

These patients also had lower BMI, waist circumference, and HbA1C values, according to the study. Each of the subjects lost roughly 10% of their body weight.

The study’s sample size was too small to draw any conclusions regarding how intermittent fasting affects the majority of diabetics. In the same year, researchers ran a bigger trial on type 2 diabetes patients, finding that over half of those who dropped weight were able to stop taking diabetic medication and complete recovery.

Following the research, intermittent fasting was discovered to be an effective strategy for diabetes patients to reduce their calorie intake, resulting in weight loss and an increased chance of remission.

Here are a handful of the most prevalent intermittent fasting methods:

16:8 intermittent fasting: People who follow this diet eat all of their meals within an 8-hour window, then fast for 16 hours. Many people retain their meal window around noon and 8 p.m. then fast from 8 p.m. till noon the next day.
5:2 intermittent fasting: This involves eating regular meals for 5 days and then fasting for 2 days, consuming less than 500 calories per day.
Alternate-day fasting: This is when you go for a complete 24 hours without eating or simply eat a small amount of food, then eat normally for the next 24 hours.
Early time-restricted feeding: You eat just in the morning and early afternoon, then go on a fast for the remainder of the day.

Although it has certain advantages for diabetics, it also has some drawbacks. As a result, the researchers advised diabetic individuals to speak with a healthcare expert or a dietician to establish which technique is best for them.