Experts from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Institute for Health and Medical Research (SAHMRI) have announced a diet to reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes in people at risk. The results of the work are published in the journal Nature Medicine.
It is known that type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells of the body do not respond effectively to insulin and lose the ability to produce a hormone that is responsible for controlling blood glucose levels. Experts estimate that about 60 percent of type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented through diet and lifestyle changes.
The randomized controlled trial, which lasted 18 months, included 200 people. Participants were divided into two groups, where the first group followed an intermittent, interval diet, and the second adhered to a low-calorie diet.
People in the group who fasted for three days during the week and ate only the remaining days from 8 am to 12 pm showed better glucose tolerance after six months compared to those who followed a daily low-calorie diet. This was because patients became more sensitive to insulin, and they also had a marked decrease in blood lipid levels.
The authors believe that further testing is needed to see if these same benefits would be achieved with a longer interval between meals, and whether this could make the effect of the diet more sustainable in the long term.