Eat, Fast, Live, Longer

Friday 8 December 2017

Eating less than 1,000 calories a day for up to five months can CURE Type 2 diabetes

·         Eating between 825 and 850 calories a day for three to five months put the disease into remission in almost half of patients in a new study·         After one year, participants had lost an average of 10 kilos (22 lbs)·         Experts say bariatric surgery is effective but expensive, risky and unnecessary·         Guidelines focus on addressing symptoms with drugs instead of 'the root cause'·         Big challenge is weight re-gain and if remission is achievable in the long-term ·         The team therefore plan to do a follow-up study in four years' time  ·         Worldwide diabetes figures are expected to climb to 642 million by 2040

A low calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes and save the lives of millions of sufferers of the preventable condition, research suggests. 
Eating between 825 and 850 calories a day for three to five months put the disease into remission in almost half of patients in a new study.  
The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), published in The Lancet, looked at almost 300 adults aged 20 to 65 who had been diagnosed with the disease in the past six years.
It showed that participants, who were instructed to slowly reintroduce more food, after one year had lost an average of 10 kilos (22 lbs), and half had maintained remission without antidiabetic medications. 
The researchers argue that their findings show that while bariatric surgery can achieve remission for a large number of diabetics, this 'expensive and risky' method is not necessary as diet and exercise alone is 'feasible'.
Restricting calories or fasting is an increasingly popular method of tackling diabetes. The 5:2 diet, aka The Fast Diet, is the best known of the fasts to reverse the disease and was made famous by Dr Michael Mosley. 

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Eating between 825 and 850 calories a day for three to five months put the diseases into remission in almost half of patients in a new study (stock image)

DOES THIS DIET ALREADY EXIST? 

Many experts have advocated a low calorie diet to control diabetes. 
The 5:2 diet, aka The Fast Diet, is the best known of the fasts and was made famous by Dr Michael Mosley.
Comprising of five days of regular eating and two ‘fast’ days of 800 calories, it has been associated with improved DNA repair and brain function.
An increase in fat loss was also demonstrated in a 2011 Manchester University study.
Dr Mosley lost 20lb in 12 weeks and saw his blood sugar and cholesterol levels return to normal after being pre-diabetic. 
He argues that two days of calorie restriction is achievable for many.
Worldwide, the number of people with type 2 diabetes has quadrupled over 35 years, rising from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, and is expected to climb to 642 million by 2040. 
It affects almost one in ten adults in the UK, and costs the NHS around £14 billion a year. 

Addressing the 'root cause' 
The Newcastle University scientists say that excess calories lead to a fatty liver, which causes the liver to produce too much glucose.
The excess fat is then passed to the pancreas, which causes the insulin-producing cells to fail and thus causing diabetes.
Their previous research suggested losing less than one gram of fat from the pancreas can re-start insulin production, reversing type 2 diabetes. 
Co-author Professor Roy Taylor, who has spent almost four decades studying the condition, said current management guidelines focus on addressing the symptoms – by reducing blood sugar levels through drug treatments – instead of 'the root cause'.
'Diet and lifestyle are touched upon but diabetes remission by cutting calories is rarely discussed,' he said.
'A major difference from other studies is that we advised a period of dietary weight loss with no increase in physical activity, but during the long-term follow up increased daily activity is important.
'Bariatric surgery can achieve remission of diabetes in about three-quarters of people, but it is more expensive and risky, and is only available to a small number of patients.
'Our findings suggest that the very large weight losses targeted by bariatric surgery are not essential to reverse the underlying processes which cause type 2 diabetes.'
It is 'achievable for many people'  

OBESITY CRISIS 

Obesity is believed to account for 80-85 per cent of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Recent research suggests that obese people are up to 80 times more likely to develop the disease than those with a BMI of less than 22.
The worldwide obesity rate has doubled since 1980, and the US has the highest rates of obesity among high-income countries.
Currently, about one in three American adults are considered obese, and about one in seven children. 
More than half of children growing up in the US today could be obese by the time they are middle-aged, worrying research by Harvard University revealed earlier this week.
It also emerged this week that Britain has highest numbers of overweight people in the EU.
Nearly 30 per cent of women and just under 27 per cent of men are overweight, according to the European Society of Cardiology. 
Today nearly a third of UK children aged two to 15 are overweight or obese.
Experts warn it has become normal to be vastly overweight in both countries.T
he weight management programme began with a low calorie diet, followed by stepped food reintroduction and ongoing support for weight loss maintenance, including cognitive behavioural therapy.
Antidiabetic and blood pressure-lowering drugs were all stopped at the start of the programme.
Almost a quarter of the group achieved weight loss of 15 kg or more at 12 months, and nearly half achieved diabetes remission at one year, compared with four per cent in the control group.
Critics of low-calorie diets to treat diabetes argue that such a strict regime are unrealistic for many patients, but Professor Taylor disagrees.
'The weight loss goals provided by this programme are achievable for many people,' he said.
'The big challenge is long-term avoidance of weight re-gain. Follow-up of DiRECT will continue for four years and reveal whether weight loss and remission is achievable in the long-term.' 
Co-author Professor Michael Lean, from the University of Glasgow, said: 'Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for six years, putting the disease into remission is feasible.
'In contrast to other approaches, we focus on the need for long-term maintenance of weight loss through diet and exercise and encourage flexibility to optimise individual results.'
Diabetics should start the plan early
Another expert, who was not involved in the study, said diabetic patients are best to start a revesal diet when they are first diagnosed and their motivation is high.
Professor Emeritus Matti Uusitupa, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: 'Lean and colleagues' results, in addition to those from other studies of type 2 diabetes prevention and some smaller interventions in this setting, indicate that weight loss should be the primary goal in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
'The DiRECT study indicates that the time of diabetes diagnosis is the best point to start weight reduction and lifestyle changes because motivation of a patient is usually high and can be enhanced by the professional health-care providers.
'However, disease prevention should be maintained as the primary goal that requires both individual-level and population-based strategies, including taxation of unhealthy food items to tackle the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes.' 
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said: 'These first year findings of DiRECT demonstrate the potential to transform the lives of millions of people. We’re very encouraged by these initial results, and the building robust evidence that remission could be achievable for some people.
'The trial is ongoing, so that we can understand the long-term effects of an approach like this. It’s very important that anyone living with type 2 diabetes considering losing weight in this way seeks support and advice from a healthcare professional.'


Tuesday 11 February 2014

Cake for breakfast, a slap-up lunch and bone broth for tea: Why Marie Antoinette's diet was the 5:2 of its day


  • Marie Antoinette ate cake in the morning and had her main meal at lunch
  • She had a tiny 23in waist and remained trim after the birth of four children


Given the current hysteria about sugar, a weight-loss diet that advocates eating cake for breakfast seems somewhat behind the times. But then it is based on a regime - according to author and fashion writer Karen Wheeler - that Marie Antoinette relied on to keep her whippet-thin. 
Wheeler was inspired by a biography of the French queen that included fascinating details about what she ate in extracts from the memoirs of her lady-in-waiting, Madame Campan. 
And yes, she really did eat cake. 
French women are three times less likely than a Briton to suffer a heart attack
French women are three times less likely than a Briton to suffer a heart attack
The Marie Antoinette Diet seems contradictory, but pastries and indulgences like red wine are staples of Gallic diets - and national statistics show French women are three times less likely than a Briton to suffer a heart attack, and have an average BMI of 23.9 compared to 26.9 for the average British woman. 
So was the vilified wife of Louis XVI, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution in 1793 at the age of just 37, on to something?

    LET THEM EAT CAKE... FOR BREAKFAST!

    Marie Antoinette indulged her sweet tooth in the mornings, had her main meal of meat or fish with vegetables and pulses at lunchtime and ate little more than soup in the evenings. 
    The diet seems to have paid off,  for measurements recorded by her seamstress reveal she had a tiny  23in waist and remained trim after the birth of four children.
    Wheeler herself lost one-and-a-half stone after ten weeks on the regime. 
    She knew she would be unable to live with a diet that denied her cake, but her research indicated that if you must eat cake, then early in the day is the best time to do so as this is when the body's metabolism is most active and you have the rest of the day to burn off the calories. 
    Those allowed chocolate as part of a balanced breakfast lost more weight
    Those allowed chocolate as part of a balanced breakfast lost more weight
    Cake for breakfast can also keep cravings at bay for the rest of the day. A study at Tel Aviv University found greater weight loss among participants who were allowed chocolate treats as part of a balanced breakfast compared to those in a group who weren't. 
    Additionally, those in the non-cake group reported less satisfaction and were less likely to stick to the diet.
    However, the cake should be part of (or follow on from, an hour or so later) a healthy and low-GI breakfast such as muesli, yogurt and blueberries. 
    And for the Marie Antoinette Diet to work, it's necessary to exercise some common sense in terms of portion size too. Your cake should be no more than a 75g slice. 
    It's also advisable to make it yourself to avoid the additives that are often found in shop-bought confectionery, and Wheeler advises cutting the sugar content by 25 to 30 per cent, which shouldn't make a huge difference to the taste.
    Nutritionist Jackie Lynch (well-well-well.co.uk) says: 'A diet that allows wriggle room and doesn't forbid any particular food group is likely to be more sustainable in the long term.
    'But you don't need to be a specialist in nutrition to suspect that eating cake for breakfast every day isn't going to help your waistline. A sliver of madeira cake or similar alongside a balanced protein-fibre breakfast as an occasional treat is one thing; eating chocolate fudge cake on a daily basis, no matter what time of day it is, is quite another.'

    A SENSIBLE LUNCH  BEATS HUNGER LATER

    The Marie Antoinette Diet involves eating your main meal at lunchtime, as was the custom of the 18th Century French court. 
    This meal should contain low-GI foods that release energy slowly over the course of the afternoon, such as brown rice, sweet potatoes or lentils.
    These should make up a quarter of your plate with half made up of vegetables and the remaining quarter a lean protein like meat or fish.
    Lynch says: 'This is by far the best part of the diet - a balanced meal like this will help to avoid the classic mid-afternoon energy slump which can lead to cravings.'

    A TYPICAL DAY ON THE MARIE ANTOINETTE PLAN

    Breakfast - Mixed berries with plain yogurt and nuts plus a modest slice of  home-made cake. 
    Lunch - A light soup followed by a skinless chicken breast or salmon fillet with quinoa and mixed vegetables.
    Afternoon snack - A handful of almonds mixed with sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
    Supper - (no later than 8pm  if possible) Broth with side salad and a small piece of chicken or cheese.

    SOUP: THE SPECIAL INGREDIENT

    A major element of the diet is a 'wonder soup' prepared from a centuries-old recipe that Marie Antoinette ate every evening as  part of her light supper at the palace of Versailles. It would have been prepared from left-over bones  and fresh vegetables from the  king's kitchen.
    Soup, says Wheeler, satisfies hunger faster than other foods. Feeling fuller for longer prevents the cells of the stomach wall releasing the hormone ghrelin that triggers hunger pangs.
    The Marie Antoinette soup is prepared by boiling chicken, lamb or beef bones for a couple of hours  or more, much as you would to make a flavoursome stock.
    The long boiling time releases minerals from the bones - a process helped by adding a splash of vinegar or white wine. Some meat can be left on the bones to boost the soup's protein content.
    The stock yields compounds such as glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen, all vital for joint health. 
    If you must eat cake, then early in the day is the best time to do so
    If you must eat cake, then early in the day is the best time to do so
    Vegetables such as onion, garlic, celery, kale, chard and carrots are added, as well as turmeric and herbs, and each bowl contains just  108 calories.
    Advocates say the broth has healing powers in addition to weight-loss benefits. 
    In traditional Chinese  medicine, bone broth is believed to be a powerful remedy for the kidneys and adrenal glands, as well as promoting strong teeth and bones.
    There is scientific evidence to back such health claims. Studies at Kings College London established that broths made by boiling bones contain as much calcium as an equivalent serving of milk. 
    Chicken broth can also help recovery from colds and flu, according to research published in the American Journal Of Therapeutics in 2012.
    As a bonus, the soup can be prepared in advance and frozen in batches that can be quickly reheated as an alternative to a quick unhealthy snack at the end of a busy day. 

    AN OLD-FASHIONED MEAL-REPLACEMENT SHAKE

    Lynch says there are many benefits to this kind of broth. 
    In the short term, the broth works in the same way as a meal-replacement drink as it is full of healthy nutrients and vitamins but low in calories, and it could be an effective option for the seriously overweight to lose pounds quickly.
    'It's a great opportunity to include a good range of anti-oxidant rich vegetables. The benefits for bone and joint health could be really positive and it's an extremely light, low-calorie option,' Lynch says.
    In her book, Wheeler introduces a broader range of soup recipes as  a way of incorporating the diet into her lifestyle long-term.
    She says she has kept off the weight she lost since starting in late 2012. 
    The Marie Antoinette Diet: Eat Cake And Still Lose Weight, by Karen Wheeler (Sweet Pea Publishing, £7.99).

    Thursday 9 January 2014

    Fashionable celebrity diets were actually invented by MONKS in the Middle Ages, expert claims

    Professor Andrew Jotischky says there's a link between the 5:2 and DODO diets and eating habits devised hundreds of years ago to cleanse the mind

    • He says the way monks found and grew their food is similar to the techniques employed by celebrity chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
    Professor Andrew Jotischky claims fashionable celebrity diets - such as the 5:2 diet followed by Beyoncé - are very similar to the eating habits of monks in the Middle Ages
    Professor Andrew Jotischky claims fashionable celebrity diets - such as the 5:2 diet followed by Beyoncé - are very similar to the eating habits of monks in the Middle Ages
    Fashionable fasting diets used by celebrities were actually invented by monks and hermits in the Middle Ages, it has been revealed. 
    There is a direct link between the 5:2 and DODO diets followed by stars such as Beyoncé and Benedict Cumberbatch and the spiritual eating habits devised hundreds of years ago to cleanse the mind and body. 
    Andrew Jotischky, Medieval History Professor at Lancaster University, is the author of ‘A Hermit’s Cookbook’ which has recipes from the Middle Ages including stew and bread soup.
    The monks’ healthy, simple diet and their fasting habits are almost exactly the same as today’s celebrity weight loss plans, says the professor. 
    The idea behind the 5:2 diet is to eat normally for five days, while fasting on the other two days. 
    It is suggested that the dieter limits themself to 500 calories for two non-consecutive days a week. 
    However, they are given a free reign on their choice of food for the other five days. 
    Some studies suggest fasting once or twice a week can also protect the brain against illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease.
    The DODO - or Day On Day Off diet - follows a similar theory.
    The lecturer in Lancaster University’s History Department has produced a detailed look at fasting and diet in the Middle Ages.
    He believes the way the monks found, prepared and ate their food contains lessons that can - and are - being used in modern life.
    Professor Jotischky said: ‘Hermits went out and found their food in the wild or grew it themselves. 
    ‘In that respect they were very similar to some of today’s chefs, like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who use the same approach to prepare their dishes.
    He says the monks' healthy, simple diet and their fasting habits are almost exactly the same as today's celebrity weight loss plans. Benedict Cumberbatch is also thought to follow the 5:2 diet
    He says the monks' healthy, simple diet and their fasting habits are almost exactly the same as today's celebrity weight loss plans. Benedict Cumberbatch is also thought to follow the 5:2 diet
    ‘And of course, fasting played a major part in their lives. For them it was a spiritual act rather than a way to lose weight, but it made them very aware of the nature of food and eating. 
    ‘As we have seen with recent dieting fads, we still look at fasting as a way of cleansing and improving our minds and our bodies.
    ‘There are great similarities between the hermits’ and monks’ diets and today’s current trendy weight-loss regimes.
    Modern day hermit? Professor Jotischky says that hermits foraged for food in the wild or grew it themselves - much like some of today's chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
    Modern day hermit? Professor Jotischky says that hermits foraged for food in the wild or grew it themselves - much like some of today's chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
    ‘The way they ate has a very modern dimension, and the superiority of home-grown and locally picked food is an argument they would have been very familiar with.
    ‘They would also be familiar with the debate over concerns over “food miles”. Monks and hermits gathered their food from nature.
    ‘They also recognised the virtue of a diet of simple food that needed little or no preparation.’

    Thursday 29 August 2013

    It might be painful, but it does work: High intensity interval training benefits WOMEN in particular

    • Interval training may be the best way for women to benefit from running
    • Women get more from high intensity interval training than men do
    • A 2:1 work-to-rest ratio is optimal during HIIT for both men and women

    When it comes to running, women may get more out of high intensity interval training than their male counterparts
    When it comes to running, women may get more out of high intensity interval training than their male counterparts
    Many gym goers have learnt to dread interval training but new research suggests that it may be the best way for women to get maximum benefits from exercise.
    The research shows that when it comes to running, women may get more out of high intensity interval training than their male counterparts.
    Earlier interval training studies primarily focused on highly trained males, but researchers say that they overlooked the variety of other populations that routinely use interval training.
    Drs Matt Laurent and Matt Kutz, at Bowling Green State University, Lauren Vervaecke, at the University of South Carolina, and Dr Matt Green at the University of North Alabama, put eight men and eight women between the ages of 19 and 30 through self-paced, high intensity interval training using different recovery periods.
    All of them reported at least a moderate fitness level and participation in at least one session of interval training a week.
    Participants used a treadmill for six, four-minute intervals performed at the highest intensity they felt they could maintain.
    Recovery periods between intervals consisted of one minute, two minute or four minute breaks.
    Throughout the intervals, the participants’ maximum oxygen consumption and heart rates were measured.
    Results revealed a significant effect of gender on both percentages.
    Across the trials, men self-selected a faster relative pace, but the women worked at a higher percentage of their maximum heart rate than the men, and a higher percentage of their maximum oxygen consumption.
    ‘I think what our data show is that there appear to be meaningful differences in how men and women self-regulate their workouts,’ Dr Laurent said.
    ‘Specifically, in our case, men and women tend to work at the same level of perceived exertion and feel similarly recovered between each interval, however, as they perform the interval runs women tended to work “harder” from a relative cardiovascular standpoint than men.’
    Results also confirmed previous findings suggesting that a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio is optimal during HIIT for both men and women.
    Results also confirmed previous findings suggesting that a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio is optimal during HIIT for both men and women
    The results also confirmed previous findings suggesting that a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio is optimal during high intensity interval training for both men and women

    ‘I really think one of the “take home” points from our study was, despite the gender differences that we found, individuals performing high-intensity interval training should listen to, and trust, their body and pay attention to how they are feeling,’ said Dr Laurent.
    ‘Without having any feedback about their data, all the participants had to use to set their pace was how they felt during the run and how recovered they felt.
    ‘In that sense, when runners perform high-intensity intervals, trust that if you push yourself to run what you consider hard, you are probably at the correct intensity, and if you maintain recommended work-to-rest ratios you most likely will recover appropriately to get the most out of your workout, independent of gender.’

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2404653/It-painful-does-work-High-intensity-interval-training-benefits-WOMEN.html#ixzz2dMBW9AKm

    Saturday 27 July 2013

    Phillip Schofield loses half a stone on the 5:2 diet

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    By Abi Hooper Abi Hooper Closer Editor 
    Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that the 5:2 diet, which allows slimmers to eat normally for five days while fasting on two, is the new craze for weight-conscious celebrities.
    J-Lo, Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the glamorous female A-listers said to have given intermittent fasting a go, but it seems that the 5:2 plan has proved popular with male celebrities too.
    ‘I am on the new 5:2 diet. I’ve been doing it for about three weeks and am really hungry'
    Phillip Schofield last week revealed he has lost an impressive half a stone on the diet in under a month.
    The 51 year-old presenter reportedly told a TV audience: ‘I am on the new 5:2 diet
    According to a UK newspaper, slim Phil was on a starvation day when he revealed the news he had lost seven pounds, and begged the audience for snacks!
    And its not just Phillip championing Dr Michael Mosley’s revolutionary diet plan - unlikely male dieters Dom Joly and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall were both early adopters.
    Writing for a UK newspaper in January, TV chef Hugh revealed that he was ‘beguiled, for the first time ever, really, by a new diet.’
    The food and drink lover explained that the diet’s appeal for him, was it’s ‘compelling promise’ that by fasting for just two days out of seven, he could lose his man-paunch and continue to eat and drink whatever he liked.
    Comedian Dom Joly also revealed early on in the 5:2 craze that he had lost two and a half stone in three months by following the diet.
    Like Hugh, the Trigger Happy TV star said he was attracted to the diet because it allowed him to indulge on non-fasting days.
    He said: ‘I simply have to get through to the next day where I can eat and drink to my heart’s content.’

    Thursday 18 April 2013

    Tom Parker Bowles cooking on This Morning

    Tom Parker Bowles  whilst cooking on 'This Morning' announced that he is trying the intermittent diet but has only managed to do 1 day so far. 

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