WEBVTT - Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogel bomb here. If you've been diagnosed with diabetes,

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<v Speaker 1>no doubt you've been told to change your eating habits

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<v Speaker 1>more veggies, fewer sweets, and to get more exercise. These

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<v Speaker 1>actions were thought to control your diabetes, but not to

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<v Speaker 1>reverse it, but a paper published in the b m

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<v Speaker 1>J says the type two diabetes is indeed reversible for

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<v Speaker 1>many patients who lose around fifteen kilograms or thirty three pounds.

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<v Speaker 1>Diabetes is a chronic condition that has been rising rapidly

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the world. It affected eight point five percent of

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<v Speaker 1>the world's population, about four hundred and twenty two million people,

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<v Speaker 1>up from four point seven percent in the most common

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<v Speaker 1>form of diabetes is type two diabetes, also known as

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<v Speaker 1>adult onset diabetes. It occurs when the body doesn't effectively

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<v Speaker 1>use the insulin it produces. Insulin being the hormone that

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<v Speaker 1>regulates blood sugar. If your blood sugar level is too

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<v Speaker 1>high and is not treated, it can lead to severe

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<v Speaker 1>problems like blindness, stroke, kidney failure, and foot amputations. Type

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<v Speaker 1>two diabetes is almost always directly tied to physical inactivity

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<v Speaker 1>and extra body weight. We spoke with paper co author

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<v Speaker 1>ROYD Taylor, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University,

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<v Speaker 1>via email. The belief amongst doctors and scientists is that

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<v Speaker 1>type two diabetes is irreversible, always get steadily worse, demanding

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<v Speaker 1>more and more drugs than insulin. Patient groups advised that

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<v Speaker 1>the first step for someone newly diagnosed is to get

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<v Speaker 1>used to the idea of dealing with a lifelong illness.

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<v Speaker 1>His research is the latest chapter in year's worth of

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<v Speaker 1>investigation about type two diabetes. In two thousand and six,

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<v Speaker 1>he noticed that liver function tests done in patients were

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<v Speaker 1>usually abnormal or on the high side. Then he saw

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<v Speaker 1>research that patients who had undergone bariatric surgery enjoyed normal

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<v Speaker 1>fasting glucose levels within one week of the operation. He said,

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<v Speaker 1>although it became widely believed that this was an effect

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<v Speaker 1>of special hormones produced by the gut, it was clear

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<v Speaker 1>to me that it simply be the sharp decrease in

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<v Speaker 1>food intake. I published a hypothesis, the twin cycle hypothesis,

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<v Speaker 1>suggesting how everything might be explained by too much fat

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<v Speaker 1>in the liver and pancreas. Then set about testing that hypothesis.

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<v Speaker 1>His hunch was proved inn and after that the group

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<v Speaker 1>conducted a larger study to find out if those benefits

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<v Speaker 1>continued long term. The scientists were pleased to discover that

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<v Speaker 1>remission does stay constant after a return to normal eating,

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<v Speaker 1>provided that these subjects maintain a steady weight. Unfortunately, a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of patients and doctors haven't cluded into this finding

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<v Speaker 1>that diabetes can go into remission. The b MJ paper

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<v Speaker 1>was actually written to draw more attention to the reversibility

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<v Speaker 1>of the condition and to incentivize everyone to strive for remission.

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<v Speaker 1>Taylor said remission is a great advantage to people with

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<v Speaker 1>type two diabetes. Although many are content to continue taking

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<v Speaker 1>the tablets or insulin and risk loss of eyesight, feet, etcetera,

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<v Speaker 1>there are large numbers desperate to escape from type two diabetes.

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<v Speaker 1>The author's call for to record patients who have gone

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<v Speaker 1>into remission, Taylor said, in the UK National Health Service

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<v Speaker 1>there is a special coding category to describe diabetes in remission.

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<v Speaker 1>It allows physicians to still be paid, ex sufferers to

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<v Speaker 1>not have to call themselves diabetic, and annual checks to

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<v Speaker 1>be done to help motivation to keep weight steady to

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<v Speaker 1>achieve remission diabetes type two patients must get their hemoglobin

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<v Speaker 1>A one c blood level to normal levels for one

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<v Speaker 1>year without assistance from diabetes medication. On its website, the

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<v Speaker 1>American Diabetes Association notes that it's very rare for patients

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<v Speaker 1>diabetes to go into remission unless they've had bariatric surgery. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the European diabetes forum diabetes dot co dot uk is

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<v Speaker 1>more up beat, stating that low carb diets like the

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<v Speaker 1>Mediterranean diet and commitment to exercise, as well as bariatric

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<v Speaker 1>surgery have all helped some people with diabetes to achieve remission.

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<v Speaker 1>If you or someone you know is living with type

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<v Speaker 1>two diabetes, consider talking to a doctor about steps to

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<v Speaker 1>take toward remission. Today's episode was written by Alia Hoyt

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other healthy topics, visit our home planet, how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Works dot com