Long version for Bittertruth (Episode 10 (Episode 4 of part 2)
Health chat with Dr Anthony Leeds
Title: ‘Life without Diabetes: the definitive guide’
Interview with Professor Roy Taylor, University of Newcastle, United Kingdom
In this interview Professor Roy Taylor describes the work that he and his team have undertaken to demonstrate and explain how energy-restricted diets can help some people put their diabetes into remission. He described how the initial ideas for his work date from 19 years ago since when he has worked on the hypothesis that the fundamental problem in type 2 diabetes is excess body fat accumulated where it should not be, in the liver and pancreas. He also pointed out that even those who are not excessively overweight may have more fat than is ideal for their metabolism and future health. He has demonstrated that weight loss in ‘normal’ weight people with diabetes can put them into remission just as it can in overweight people and those with obesity. He also has shown how sufficient weight loss and sufficient weight maintenance, usually of 10-15kg in Europeans can deliver diabetes remission and also a huge reduction of liver and pancreatic fat with recovery of function, including insulin production. Achieving these larger weight losses can require the short-term use of formula diet ‘soups and shakes’ providing just over 800kcal/d in order to get the initial large weight losses. After stepping up food intake towards a lower energy maintenance conventional food diet the challenges of weight maintenance become apparent. He agreed with Dr Leeds that getting people to increase their exercise and activity levels to help weight maintenance was difficult as is shown repeatedly in most studies.
Asked if the NHS England rollout of the diabetes remission programme was proving to be economically viable using standard calculations (it probably is but the published evidence is awaited) he added that the 5-year DiRECT study results showed lower numbers of hospital admissions and new cancer cases in those who had followed the diet and lost weight, indicating that the new lower weight, and the new lower maintenance food-energy intake was probably having profound effects on suppressing disease development processes.
Regarding the global uptake of this new approach to diabetes management and prevention he indicated that there were trial programmes underway in some countries but noted that there was some resistance particularly in north America to the idea that diabetes can be put into remission by losing weight by diet alone.
Links to useful web-sites are given in the links below.
If you believe that you may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes please use one of the links below to use an on-line risk calculator. If it indicates medium or high risk please seek the guidance of a health care professional on next steps. If you’ve had diabetes for some time it is rarely too late to lose some weight but you must seek expert guidance especially if you are taking any medications (both tablets and injections).
Anthony R Leeds
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Diabetes remission:
Diabetes remission in the UK:
Research Spot Light Low calorie liquid diet:
Long term (5 year) results of UK Diabetes remission trial:
Studies of multiple protein markers (proteomics) in the DiRECT and DIADEM studies:
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Diabetes prevention:
International Diabetes Federation:
South Asia:
The Indian Diabetes risk score:
East Asia:
Diabetes Hong Kong – Are you at high risk of diabetes?
Chinese language online risk calculator: Go to:
Sunway Medical – Malaysia – Know your risk – and choose Chinese language
South-East Asia:
Europe/Middle East and North America:
Qatar Diabetes Association – are you at risk of type 2 diabetes?
Ministry of Health, Qatar, National Strategy to prevent diabetes in Qatar
The Canadian Diabetes Risk calculator:
United States of America – American Diabetes association
UK Type 2 diabetes – know your risk
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