1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren voge bom here with another episode from the 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: archives owhen presented with a diagnosis like type two diabetes, 4 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: it can be easy to spiral into thinking that you'll 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: need insulin forever. But with lifestyle changes, that doesn't have 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: to be the case. I'll let former Lauren explain, Hey 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren vogel bam here. If you've been diagnosed 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: with diabetes, no doubt you've been told to change your 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: eating habits more veggies, fewer sweets, and to get more exercise. 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: These actions were thought to control your diabetes, but not 11 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 1: to reverse it, but a paper published in the b 12 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: m J says the type two diabetes is indeed reversible 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: for many patients who lose around fifteen ms or thirty 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: three pounds. Diabetes is a chronic condition that has been 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: rising rapidly throughout the world. It affected eight point five 16 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: percent of the world's population, about hundred and twenty two 17 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: million people, up from four point seven percent in the 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: most common form of diabetes is type two diabetes, also 19 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: known as adult onset diabetes. It occurs when the body 20 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: doesn't effectively use the insulin it produces insulin, being the 21 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: hormone that regulates blood sugar. If your blood sugar level 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: is too high and is not treated, it can lead 23 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: to severe problems like blindness, stroke, kidney failure, and foot amputations. 24 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: Type two diabetes is almost always directly tied to physical 25 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: inactivity and extra body weight. We spoke with paper co 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: author Roy Taylor, Professor of medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University, 27 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: via email. The belief amongst doctors and scientists is that 28 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: type two diabetes is irreversible, always get steadily worse, demanding 29 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: more and more drugs than insulin. Patient groups advised that 30 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: the first step for someone newly diagnosed is to get 31 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: used to the idea of dealing with a lifelong illness. 32 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: His research is the latest chapter in year's worth of 33 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: investigation about type two diabetes. In two thousand and six, 34 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: he noticed that liver function tests done in patients were 35 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: usually abnormal or on the high side. Then he saw 36 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,959 Speaker 1: research that patients who had undergone bariatric surgery enjoyed normal 37 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: fasting glucose levels within one week of the operation. He said, 38 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 1: although it became widely believed that this was an effect 39 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: of special hormones produced by the gut. It was clear 40 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: to me that it might simply be the sharp decrease 41 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: in food intake. I published a hypothesis, the twin cycle hypothesis, 42 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: suggesting how everything might be explained by too much fat 43 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: in the liver and pancreas, then set about testing that hypothesis. 44 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: His hunch was proved in twenty eleven, and after that 45 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: the group conducted a larger study to find out if 46 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: those benefits continued long term. The scientists were pleased to 47 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: discover that remission does stay constant after a return to 48 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: normal eating, provided that these subjects maintain a steady weight. Unfortunately, 49 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: a lot of patients and doctors haven't clued into this 50 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: finding that diabetes can go into remission. The b m 51 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: J paper was actually written to draw more attention to 52 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: the reversibility of the condition and to incentivize everyone to 53 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: strive for remission. Taylor said remission is a great advantage 54 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: to people with type two diabetes. Although many are content 55 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: to continue taking the tablets or insulin and risk loss 56 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: of eyesight, feet, etcetera, there are large numbers desperate to 57 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: escape from type two diabetes. The authors call for doctors 58 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: to record patients who have gone into remission. Taylor said 59 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: in the UK National Health Service there is a special 60 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:31,399 Speaker 1: coding category to describe diabetes in remission. It allows physicians 61 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: to still be paid, ex sufferers to not have to 62 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: call themselves diabetic, and annual checks to be done to 63 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: help motivation to keep weight steady. To achieve remission diabetes 64 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: type too, patients must get their hemoglobin a one c 65 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: blood level to normal levels for one year without assistance 66 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: from diabetes medication. On its website, the American Diabetes Association 67 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: notes that it's very rare for patients diabetes to go 68 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: into remission unless they've had bariatric surgery. However, the European 69 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: Diabetes Diabetes dot co dot UK is more up beat, 70 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: stating that low carb diets like the Mediterranean diet and 71 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: commitment to exercise, as well as bariatric surgery have all 72 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: helped some people with diabetes to achieve remission. If you 73 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 1: or someone you know is living with type two diabetes, 74 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: consider talking to a doctor about steps to take toward remission. 75 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article type two diabetes 76 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: is reversible after All on how Stuffworks dot com, written 77 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: by Leah Hoyt. The brain Stuff is production of by 78 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio and partnership with how stuff Works dot com, 79 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Or more podcasts my 80 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 81 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.