The importance of faith, optimism, personal responsibility, lifestyle choices, and timely professional support with nuances in 6 steps based on experience, anecdotes, and literature reviews.

This story is for information and awareness purposes. It does not include health advice.

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“Although in past diabetes has been called chronic and irreversible, the paradigm is changing.” MDPI

Reversing chronic disorders like diabetes is not easy and simple. I learned that the mechanisms underlying the reversibility of type II diabetes are complex and multifactorial and require personal responsibility, significant effort, time investment, and punctual professional support.

Reversing any health condition requires substantial effort from patients, professionals, and caregivers because we are biological beings, and rejuvenating cells, tissues, organs, and systems takes time.

As a scientist and technologist, I have witnessed the transformative impact of science and technology. What was once deemed incurable is now being reversed or cured through a blend of healthy lifestyle choices and expert guidance.

Today’s trailblazing scientists and clinicians, driven by open-mindedness and empathy, are erasing the stigma once attached to these conditions. Pharmacologists also made significant strides. From a pharmacological angle, promising drugs for type II diabetes management encompass several classes.

For example, metformin is an initial choice for enhancing insulin sensitivity and curbing liver glucose output.

SGLT-2 inhibitors eliminate excess glucose via urine. GLP-1 receptor agonists stimulate insulin release, suppressing glucagon and aiding weight loss. DPP-4 inhibitors elevate GLP-1 levels, Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) augment insulin sensitivity and decrease liver glucose production, and insulin itself is a crucial treatment.

Ongoing research explores newer medications like dual SGLT-1/SGLT-2 inhibitors and other investigational drugs aiming for enhanced efficacy and reduced side effects.

Metaphorically, diabetes feels ingrained in my DNA, having been diagnosed as carb-intolerant. It means that my body cannot properly process carbohydrates, so I need to keep my carb intake to a minimum. Understanding this unveiled crucial insights into my health. In addition to my mother, several relatives grapple with the same condition.

In my 20s, I confronted pre-diabetes and abdominal obesity, putting me at a metabolic disadvantage. However, I managed to reverse my condition, achieving a healthier body and mind as I crossed my half-century mark.

I learned a lot from this inspiring scientific symposium covering the gamut of Type 2 diabetes prevention, reversing established Type 2 diabetes, population-level delivery of weight loss programs, and personal insights into achieving and retaining substantial weight loss in 2019.

As the paper points out:

“The Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial has shown that around half of a primary care population of people with Type 2 diabetes of less than six years’ duration can be returned to non-diabetic blood glucose control which lasts at least 12 months.”

First, I want to briefly explain why I optimistically believe that Type II diabetes is preventable and reversible. Belief and optimism are essential driving forces for scientists, fueling their pursuit of knowledge and innovation in numerous ways.

Importance of Belief and Optimism in Science

Belief and optimism fuel scientists’ perseverance through the uncertainties of scientific exploration, propelling them to seek solutions to intricate questions and reinforcing confidence in their hypotheses for meticulous experimentation.

This mindset sparks passion and commitment, encouraging boundary-pushing in research while fostering collaboration among scientists and nurturing a collective drive for knowledge advancement. These mindsets act as a catalysts, driving scientific breakthroughs.

Scientists operate within a framework valuing rigorous data analysis, validating hypotheses through empirical evidence, and embracing humility by remaining open to modifying beliefs based on verified data to advance scientific progress.

Why Type II Diabetes Matters

Type II diabetes is a chronic condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the 21st century. Currently, 442 million people live with diabetes. As documented in this paper, it was estimated to hit 693 million by 2025.

Diabetes is a severe matter to society. CDC informs that over 34 million Americans have diabetes. 88 million US citizens have prediabetes. 116 million people in China have diabetes. And 77 million people live with diabetes in India.

90% of 88 million people with prediabetes in a developed country don’t even know they have it. Moreover, CDC highlights that “A person with prediabetes is at high risk of type II diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.”

Type II diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and impaired insulin secretion.

Type II diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone regulating blood sugar levels, or when it cannot produce enough insulin to meet its needs. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause damage to organs and tissues throughout the body, leading to nerve damage, vision problems, and kidney issues.

The picture in the literature is crystal clear. Type II diabetes is associated with obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet, substance abuse, excessive stress, and chronic inflammation. Some professionals still advocate high-carb diets for diabetic or metabolically broken people. However, recent clinical studies show that low-carb diets produce better results.

One of the striking health issues of the 21st century is metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease, affecting the lives of around 2 billion people. This fire is fuelled by insulin resistance and amplified by leptin resistance, making the body crave more food despite its abundant energy in stores.

Despite the seriousness of the condition, recent studies I reviewed optimistically indicate that type II diabetes is reversible in some cases, with lifestyle changes, medications, and other medical interventions such as surgery.

Except for specific instances involving genetic mutations, I firmly believe that reversing type II diabetes is feasible. The root cause of the disease often ties back to lifestyle factors that can be adjusted to enhance overall health and diminish the likelihood of complications.

According to a paper published in the MDPI titled Reversing Type II Diabetes: A Narrative Review of the Evidence:

“Type 2 diabetes has long been identified as an incurable chronic disease. The best outcome that has been expected is the amelioration of diabetes symptoms or the slowing of its inevitable progression. Approximately 50% of T2D patients will need insulin therapy within ten years of diagnosis. Although in the past diabetes has been called chronic and irreversible, the paradigm is changing.”

Reversing type II diabetes hinges on tackling its fundamental triggers like insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress. Achieving this reversal involves embracing healthy lifestyle practices directly targeting these underlying factors. Additional support like medication or other interventions may sometimes be necessary.

Based on my personal experience and literature reviews, I outline them in six steps in simple language, only highlighting practical factors and nuanced points.

A Six-Step Framework that I Used to Reverse My Prediabetes

Step 1 — Improve cellular, mitochondrial, and gut health.

Efficiently clearing metabolic waste is pivotal for proactive prevention and sustainable treatment. Cellular cleansing is vital in shedding visceral fat, preserving muscle mass, and maintaining overall health, primarily as most toxins reside in our fat cells.

Apart from toxins generated during energy production, environmental sources like air, water, and food continually introduce harmful substances, occasionally overwhelming the body’s defense mechanisms. Activating the body’s self-healing system through natural means is a viable solution.

Autophagy and mitophagy, clearing cellular and mitochondrial waste, respectively, form the crux of this system. Initiating these processes through methods like time-restricted eating and extended fasting proves effective, albeit requiring guidance from qualified healthcare professionals due to associated risks.

Emerging research suggests a link between the gut microbiome and the onset and progression of type II diabetes. Imbalances in the gut microbiome can trigger inflammation and disrupt metabolic function. Addressing leaky gut, implementing dietary adjustments, using probiotics, and considering fecal microbiota transplantation show potential in enhancing the gut microbiome and aiding in the reversal of type II diabetes

Step 2— Move the body regularly and joyfully.

Regular exercise can consume excess calories, especially from sugar, and makes the body more insulin-sensitive by activating muscle cells. In reversing type II diabetes, exercise is an effective way.

Exercise is a lifestyle factor that helps lose visceral fat and maintain lean muscles. Workouts after meals can burn excess calories and make the body insulin-sensitive. Combining several types of workouts can produce optimal results for fat mobilization.

Exercise is beneficial for lowering the risks of other conditions by burning fat, detoxifying the body, and improving mood. 150 minutes of weekly exercise might lower cancer risks.

Step 3 — Manage oxidative stress and prevent chronic inflammation.

The importance of exercise is evident, but its potential to trigger stress and inflammation emphasizes the need for adequate post-workout rest to curb acute stress. Oxidative and emotional stressors disrupt metabolic equilibrium, affecting glucose and lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, and activating inflammation.

This chronic inflammation disrupts insulin signaling, derailing fat metabolism and immune overactivity, impacting metabolic balance. Excess stress triggers cortisol release, potentially causing muscle loss and impeding fat burning despite increased exercise. Stress can lead to genetic and epigenetic effects, heightening chronic inflammation risks.

Prioritizing rest, adequate sleep, and recovery maintain metabolic balance, preventing hormonal disruption, excessive appetite, and overeating. Sleep deprivation elevates cortisol, inducing fatigue, while emotional stress weakens immunity and affects hormones. Leveraging stress management methods helps, and seeking professional advice for anti-inflammatory medications monitoring inflammation markers becomes crucial in specific cases.

Step 4— Make the body insulin-sensitive and fat-adapted by optimizing hormones and neurotransmitters.

Hormonal balance significantly influences fat metabolism and muscle retention, encompassing insulin, glucagon, adiponectin, leptin, cortisol, growth hormones, and sex hormones.

Disrupted hormonal levels impede fat loss and can deplete muscle mass, underscoring the need to optimize hormones through lifestyle adjustments and professional guidance. Maintaining healthy blood glucose levels is pivotal in regulating essential hormones like insulin and glucagon, which are crucial in managing type II diabetes. Insulin resistance, a primary driver of type II diabetes, reduces cell responsiveness to insulin, potentially elevating glucose levels and causing tissue damage.

Optimizing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin indirectly aids in combating type II diabetes by influencing motivation for fat loss and muscle retention.

Lifestyle modifications and medications like metformin promise to enhance beta-cell function and address insulin resistance. Adopting healthy habits like dietary changes, exercise, sufficient sleep, and stress management facilitated reversing my insulin resistance over three decades, rendering my body notably insulin-sensitive.

This shift significantly countered insulin resistance, fostering energy efficiency, initiating ketosis, and enabling fat adaptation. Attending to insulin and leptin resistance can mitigate metabolic concerns, reducing risks associated with obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Step 5— Balance amino acids, glucose, and fat to prevent visceral fat accumulation and muscle loss.

This step focuses on balancing amino acids, glucose, and fat to prevent visceral fat buildup and preserve muscle mass. Maintaining metabolic balance involves sourcing essential amino acids, sufficient healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates from whole foods. This approach effectively curbs visceral fat accumulation, except in cases involving specific health conditions, hormonal imbalances, or genetic factors.

Excessive intake of proteins, fats, or carbohydrates often results in calorie storage as visceral fat, primarily around the abdomen and buttocks. Once digested, these macronutrients yield triglycerides that either provide immediate cell energy or get stored as fat when calorie intake exceeds needs. Mobilizing stored fat involves creating a caloric deficit through reduced food intake, increased physical activity, and exposure to cold temperatures to trigger thermic effects.

Strategies like calorie reduction, exercise, timed eating, and cold exposure facilitate effective visceral fat reduction, initiating fat burning and ketosis as an alternate energy source. This process improves insulin sensitivity and fat adaptation and maintains a healthy muscle-to-fat ratio, preventing metabolic disorders.

Prolonged caloric deficiency leading to muscle loss may trigger sarcopenia due to increased cortisol levels, consuming muscle glucose rather than visceral fat. Managing accumulated visceral fat remains critical, regardless of age, due to its association with metabolic disorders. At the same time, declining muscle mass and bone density contribute to age-related conditions like sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

Step 6— Consider special treatments by experts and accredited clinics, including therapeutic fasting, medication, and bariatric surgery.

Several natural and medical treatments exist for type II diabetes, including supervised short-term or long-term fasting in accredited clinics. Long-term supervised or therapeutic fasting involves controlled periods of abstaining from food for multiple days. Another approach is supervised intermittent fasting, such as the 16/8 method, which allows an eight-hour eating window followed by a 16-hour fasting period.

Clinics also utilize custom versions of the fast-mimicking diet developed by Dr. Valter Longo. Fasting aims to regulate blood sugar, reduce insulin resistance, and enhance metabolic function by reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, and promoting the regeneration of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

Studies indicate the efficacy of bariatric surgery in achieving prolonged remission, although concerns persist regarding surgical complications, costs, and lifestyle adjustments post-surgery. Bariatric surgery operates by inducing hormonal changes, improving insulin sensitivity, and enhancing beta-cell function, leading to improved glucose control and type II diabetes reversal in select patients.

While various medications show promise, consulting healthcare professionals for tailored treatment based on individual health profiles and medication-specific considerations remains crucial.

Summary and Conclusions

A new wave of scientists and clinicians is spearheading remarkable strides in addressing chronic disorders, infusing renewed hope for diabetic patients. Leveraging cutting-edge medical technology and pioneering therapies, they unravel the intricate mechanisms underlying chronic ailments.

This nuanced and more profound understanding enables the creation of precise, targeted treatments, heralding a promising era of more effective interventions for these conditions. Although type II diabetes is a chronic condition, its reversibility hinges on interventions encompassing lifestyle changes, medications, therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.

Untangling the mechanisms behind this reversibility reveals a complex and multifaceted interplay of factors within the body’s functioning. I believe the mind also plays a critical role, as the body and mind are tightly connected based on holistic health principles.

I have recently detailed the advantageous impact of magnesium supplementation in managing type II diabetes, depicting its ability to reduce stress, suppress inflammation, and enhance insulin sensitivity. Additionally, I have documented significant insights into vitamin E's role in managing type II diabetes, shedding light on its potential contributions to this condition’s control and treatment.

From more intangible perspectives, emotional regulation, improved relationships, and meaningful social connections are also important in reversing type II diabetes.

Due to the effects of master hormones, other hormones also get imbalanced, putting us in a metabolically disadvantaged position. Therefore, we must adjust our goals, tweak our lifestyles, and create new protocols to support them with input from qualified healthcare professionals.

Metabolic issues like weight gain and muscle loss might happen at any age. But, as we age, our bodily systems become less efficient, and telomeres shorten. Aging might lead to more visceral fat and muscle loss. Hormonal profiles significantly change as we age. The body produces fewer sex hormones like testosterone for men and estrogen for women.

Takeaways

The following points might give valuable perspectives on improving your conditions and increasing your health span and lifespan.

1 — Accept your condition, seek timely help, and make the body insulin sensitive and fat-adapted with nutritious food, regular exercise, restorative sleep, fun, recovery, and rest.

2 — Manage your stress and inflammation with lifestyle choices and professional support. Optimize hormones and neurotransmitters by improving cellular, mitochondrial, immune, and gut health.

3 — Leverage thermogenesis and strenghen the immune system and activate the self-healing to detoxify the body naturally.

4 — Stay optimistic, consistent, and persistent by going out of your comfort zone and gain healthy habits to support healthy weight management. Measure your progress, get checked, and address underlying health conditions timely with support from qualified healthcare professionals.

5 — Be curious and learn from the experiences of others with an open mind focusing on principles and novel approaches that work for them. Expore possibilities for special treatments by experts and accredited clinics such as therepuetic/supervised fasting or bariatric surgery.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

To inform my new readers, I wrote numerous articles that might inform and inspire you. My topics include brain and cognitive function, significant health conditions, longevity, nutrition/food, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, writing/reading, science, technology, business, and humor.

I compile my health and wellness stories on my blog, EUPHORIA. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.