When it comes to high blood sugar and diabetes, most people first think of relying on glucose-lowering drugs. That's right, in addition to medication according to the doctor's instructions, we should also pay more attention to lifestyle adjustment and dietary optimization.
In recent years, more and more studies have found that making a little change in daily diet can also have a certain hypoglycemic effect, and the effect is not bad, which can be described as comparable to hypoglycemic drugs!
Photo by Dong Naide
Eating a change,
The hypoglycemic effect is comparable to that of hypoglycemic drugs!
If you want to lower blood sugar better, you can make an appropriate change in your diet: eat less on 2 out of 7 days a week, which is more effective in controlling blood sugar. On June 21, 2024, Professor Guo Lixin of Beijing Hospital and National Geriatrics Center and others published a randomized clinical study in JAMA Network Open, a sub-journal of the Journal of the American Medical Association, and found that compared with hypoglycemic drugs, "5+2 fasting", that is, eating less on 2 out of 7 days a week, has the largest reduction in blood sugar levels and the largest weight loss, which may be an effective intervention method for early type 2 diabetes. ①
Screenshot of the study
The study included a total of 405 adult participants from mainland China, with an average age of 45.5 years. And they were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within one year and had not used glucose-lowering drugs in the past 3 months. Then, they were randomly assigned to receive the hypoglycemic drugs "metformin, empagliflozin", or "5+2 fasting" in a 1:1:1 ratio, and the treatment period was 16 weeks.
The first group: 134 people in the hypoglycemic drug metformin group
The second group: 136 people in the hypoglycemic drug empagliflozin group
The second group: 135 people in the "5+2 fasting" group
In the "5+2 fasting" group, participants had a non-consecutive 2 days a week to reduce their caloric intake (eggs, fruits and vegetables, and meal replacements), with a daily energy intake of 500 kcal for women and 600 kcal for men. For the remaining 5 days of the week, eat breakfast and lunch normally, and eat dinner meal replacements to reduce calorie intake.
At the end of 16 weeks of treatment, the results of the study were very unexpected: the patients in the "5+2 fasting" group had the largest decrease in blood glucose levels, with a reduction of 1.9%, which was significantly higher than that of the hypoglycemic drug metformin group and the hypoglycemic drug empagliflozin.
In addition, at the end of week 16, patients in the "5+2 fasting" group experienced the greatest weight loss and a greater proportion of those who achieved weight loss. Patients in the "5+2 fasting" group lost an average of 9.7 kg over 16 weeks, far exceeding the data of the other two groups of 5.5 kg and 5.8 kg. It also improves blood pressure, triglycerides, and "bad cholesterol" (HDL-C) levels.
Screenshot of the study
Finally, after 16 weeks and 8 weeks of follow-up, it was found that 76.6% of the participants in the "5+2 fasting" group maintained glycosylated hemoglobin levels below 6.5%, which is also the standard for diagnosing diabetes. The proportions in the metformin and empagliflozin groups were 60% and 55% respectively. ②
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Eat less 2 days a week,
The benefits are more than a little bit
According to the Chinese Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Overweight/Obesity (2021), "fasting" is also known as intermittent energy-restricted diet. "5+2 fasting" refers to eating normally 5 days a week, and choosing 2 consecutive days to limit energy intake to 25% of the usual diet, that is, 500 kcal ~ 600 kcal. More and more studies confirm that eating less than 2 days a week can benefit more than a little.
1. Slows down brain aging
On June 19, 2024, researchers from the National Institute on Aging published a randomized clinical trial in the journal Cell Metabolism showing that "5+2 fasting" and a healthy lifestyle diet can slow brain aging in older participants and improve memory and executive function. Moreover, certain cognitive indicators in the "5+2 fasting" group were more beneficial. ②
Screenshot of the study
2. Lose weight and improve metabolism
Not only that, researchers from the National Institute on Aging also found that the two diet regimens also improved systemic and peripheral metabolic indicators, including weight, BMI, waist circumference, circulating lipids, and peripheral insulin resistance indicators, and the BMI and weight of the "5+2 fasting" decreased more than the healthy lifestyle diet. ②
3. Enhance anti-cancer immunity
NK cells are an innate immune cell in our body that kills abnormal cancer cells. On June 14, 2024, a study published in the journal "Immunity" showed that eating less 2 days a week can increase the activity of NK cells, allowing NK cells to secrete more interferon, thereby improving anti-tumor ability. ③
Screenshot of the study
4. Helps improve fatty liver
In May 2024, a study published in Cell Metabolism showed that the "5+2 fasting" diet regimen can prevent and improve fatty liver and liver fibrosis, and stop the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Studies have shown that the health benefits of "5+2 fasting" do not stem from "eating less", but from the presence of longer fasting periods. ④
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Dr. Xiehe gave a 5+2 fasting recipe
For us ordinary people, the most important thing is to change our diet to achieve weight loss. Chen Wei, chief physician of the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, introduced the "5+2 fasting" method in 2020, losing an average of 5 pounds a month.
According to Dr. Chen Wei, 7 days a week, 5 days of normal eating, and non-continuous 2 days of fasting. Note that this fasting is not about eating nothing, but about restricting food intake, and the four major groups of nutrients are micronutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in proportion. Appropriate control of calorie intake on non-fasting days, the recommended total calorie is 1200-1500 kcal/day for women and 1500-1800 kcal/day for men. ⑤
Such intermittent scientific fasting is not only not harmful to health, but also can "restart" some of the body's functions, which is beneficial to physical health.
5+2 fasting recipe reference table
[Non-fasting days: 5 heavens]
Breakfast 7:30:
50 grams of staple food;
Protein food (1 egg + milk/soy milk 250ml);
One multivitamin.
Snack 10:00:
150 grams of nonfat yogurt.
Lunch 12:00:
50 grams of staple food;
100g of protein food (50g of lean meat + 1 egg or 100g of tofu or 50g of dried tofu);
250 grams of vegetables.
Snack 16:30:
200 grams of fruit.
Dinner 18:30:
50 grams of staple food;
100 grams of protein food (50 grams of lean meat + 1 egg white or 100 grams of tofu or 50 grams of dried tofu);
250 grams of vegetables.
[Fasting day: non-consecutive 2 days]
Breakfast 7:30:
1 egg;
100g skim milk/low-fat yogurt;
One multivitamin.
Lunch 12:00:
150 to 200 grams of fruit.
Dinner 18:30:
25 grams of staple food;
200 g of boiled vegetables;
50 grams of protein food.
Drink 2500ml of water throughout the day.
Finally, it is also reminded that whether it is using fasting or other treatment or intervention, it is recommended to do it under the guidance of a doctor.
Source: Health Times