A randomized scientific trial has been carried out on Chinese language adults with early sort 2 diabetes to discover the effectiveness of an intermittent fasting meal substitute food plan in controlling blood glucose ranges.
The examine is printed in JAMA Community Open.
Background
Kind 2 diabetes has turn out to be a serious public well being disaster worldwide. In response to the Worldwide Diabetes Federation report printed in 2021, about 537 million adults are dwelling with sort 2 diabetes globally.
China has the best prevalence of diabetes on the earth. The nation has witnessed a 56.6% improve in diabetic adults between 2011 and 2021. The present prevalence of diabetes in China is 12.4%. Furthermore, about 50% of the Chinese language normal inhabitants is both obese or overweight.
Weight problems and obese are the main danger elements for diabetes growth. It has been noticed that an enchancment in glycemic management and a discount in antidiabetic drug dosage might be achieved by means of physique weight discount.
Meal substitute is a invaluable weight reduction technique whereby a prepackaged meals or beverage is substituted for a number of meals. Current randomized scientific trials have proven that meal substitute is simpler than different diets in attaining weight reduction.
On this randomized scientific trial, scientists have investigated whether or not a mixture of a 5:2 intermittent fasting food plan and a meal substitute food plan can successfully management blood glucose ranges and scale back physique weight in overweight or obese Chinese language adults with early sort 2 diabetes.
The 5:2 intermittent fasting food plan entails two nonconsecutive fasting days (one-fourth of the vitality consumption of a recurring food plan) and 5 days of recurring consumption per week.
Examine design
This randomized scientific trial was carried out on a complete of 405 Chinese language adults with newly identified sort 2 diabetes who had not used any antidiabetic or weight-loss medication prior to now three months.
The contributors have been randomly categorized into three teams, every receiving both metformin, empagliflozin, or 5:2 meal substitute. The remedy lasted for 16 weeks.
The contributors within the 5:2 meal substitute group consumed one serving of a low-energy product as a substitute of all three common meals for 2 nonconsecutive days. On the remaining 5 days, they consumed breakfast and lunch in accordance with their alternative however had one serving of a meal substitute product for dinner.
Parameters analyzed after the top of the 16-week remedy interval included glycated hemoglobin (a measure of glycemic management), physique weight, anthropometric parameters, and biochemical parameters.
Vital observations
The best discount in glycated hemoglobin degree was noticed within the 5:2 meal substitute group in comparison with that within the metformin group and empagliflozin group. Nonetheless, no vital distinction in glycated hemoglobin degree was noticed between metformin-treated and empagliflozin-treated sufferers.
Aside from sufferers aged 60 years or above, the development in glycemic management as a consequence of 5:2 meal substitute was noticed throughout all contributors, together with overweight or obese sufferers.
The proportion of sufferers attaining glycated hemoglobin ranges of lower than 7% or 6.5% was considerably increased within the 5:2 meal substitute group in comparison with that within the metformin and empagliflozin teams.
About 76% of contributors within the 5:2 meal substitute group maintained a glycated hemoglobin degree of lower than 6.5% at 8 weeks post-treatment. Fasting blood glucose degree was additionally lowered by 30.3 mg/dL within the 5:2 meal substitute group.
A considerably larger discount in physique weight, waist and hip circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood stress was noticed within the 5:2 meal substitute group in comparison with that within the different two teams.
Relating to security profile, the 5:2 meal substitute was discovered to trigger constipation in a single affected person and hypoglycemia in 8 sufferers, which could possibly be as a consequence of a low-energy food plan.
Within the metformin group, 26 sufferers skilled gentle gastrointestinal signs, and eight sufferers had hypoglycemia. Within the empagliflozin group, three sufferers skilled urinary signs, 5 sufferers had hypoglycemia, and one affected person reported feeling thirsty.
Extreme adversarial occasions, together with extreme rash and hospitalization as a consequence of elevated blood ketone ranges, have been noticed in two sufferers within the empagliflozin group. Nonetheless, these problems resolved after remedy.
Examine significance
The examine finds {that a} 5:2 meal substitute technique for 16 weeks can successfully enhance glycemic management and scale back physique weight in overweight or obese Chinese language people with newly identified sort 2 diabetes.
This dietary intervention reveals increased efficacy in managing diabetes and weight problems than two antidiabetic medication, metformin and empagliflozin.
The examine was carried out on diabetic sufferers who weren’t taking any antidiabetic medication and had a glycated hemoglobin degree of lower than 9% at baseline. Furthermore, the examine interventions have been applied for a brief period. Thus, future research are wanted to find out the long-term efficacy of a 5:2 meal substitute food plan in sufferers receiving antidiabetic medication and having larger baseline glycated hemoglobin ranges.
General, the examine findings counsel that the 5:2 meal substitute technique could also be an efficient preliminary way of life intervention for early managing sort 2 diabetes.
