A new randomized clinical trial, conducted over six years, found that individuals with type 2 diabetes who followed a time-restricted diet, specifically intermittent fasting, experienced significant improvements in blood sugar levels and a reduction in belly fat. This study highlights the effectiveness of intermittent fasting in managing diabetes and achieving weight loss goals.
Goodbye to the boredom of counting calories
According to what was published by the American news network CNN, the study’s lead researcher, Christa Varady, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said in an email: “The findings show that time-restricted eating is a practical alternative for people with type 2 diabetes.” Who is tired of counting calories to lose weight?
Faraday was also the principal investigator of a July study that found that time-restricted eating had the same effect on weight loss as calorie counting among a racially diverse group of 77 people who were followed for a year.
Doubles results
In the new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, people who counted time instead of calories also lost a few extra pounds, but not much more – there was a 3.6% reduction in weight when eating according to specific timings. And a loss of 1.8% when counting calories compared to the control group that did not follow a specific diet.
“It was discovered that by limiting eating to 8 hours a day, the time-restricted eating group naturally cut about 300 calories per day,” despite being allowed to eat whatever they wanted, Faraday said.
Surprising result
According to Faraday, the group following the calorie diet was instructed to reduce their daily intake by 500 calories. However, they found food tracking to be uninteresting, resulting in a reduction of only 200 calories per day. This discrepancy in weight loss can be attributed to their limited calorie reduction.
What’s important – and surprising – is that both groups significantly improved their A1C, a test that measures average blood sugar levels over the previous three months, she said.
Healing from diabetes
She added, “Both groups reduced the A1C level by almost a full point (0.9%), noting that it is “a very important matter,” especially since the study participants at the beginning of the randomized trial had their cumulative blood sugar levels of up to 8, and after following the intermittent fasting system. Or calorie restriction dropped to 7, explaining that a drop in measurements below 6.5 means they have achieved diabetes remission.”
The secret of visceral fat
Both groups also lost equal amounts of dangerous visceral fat in the abdomen, which contributes to diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Varady said.
She added: “Blood sugar control is more important for those with type 2 diabetes, but losing weight (especially visceral fat) usually leads to better blood sugar control,” explaining that “although… “The two groups lost different amounts of weight, but they had similar reductions in visceral fat and waist circumference.” Varadi suggested that the fat reduction was “the reason why their blood sugar improved similarly, even though their weight loss was different on the scale.”
