This case series documents three patients referred to the Intensive Dietary Management clinic in Toronto, Canada, for insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes. It demonstrates the effectiveness of therapeutic fasting to reverse their insulin resistance, resulting in cessation of insulin therapy while maintaining control of their blood sugars. In addition, these patients were also able to lose significant amounts of body weight, reduce their waist circumference and also reduce their glycated haemoglobin level.
This case demonstrates the effective and sustainable use of intermittent fasting (IF) and ketogenic diet (KD) in a normal weight patient with type 2 diabetes, who did not attain glycaemic control with a standard care approach. A 57-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin and strict adherence to a standard diabetic diet presented with a haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 9.3%. Within 4 months of transitioning to KD, combined with IF, she achieved glycaemic control off pharmacotherapy, with HbA1c of 6.4. IF regimens started as 24 hours three times per week, followed by 42 hours three times per week, then 42 hours two times per week and 16 hours once per week. A maintenance phase was then begun at 8 months; IF was reduced to 16 hours per day, with 24 hours three times per month, and metformin was restarted. At 14 months, HbA1c reached 5.8%, and body mass index was minimally changed.
Lifestyle therapy is an integral part of type 2 diabetes (T2D) management, but there remains no consensus on an optimal diet. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic fasting as a treatment for T2D. This case follows a male T2D patient treated at the Intensive Dietary Management Clinic in Scarborough, Ontario, over a 4-month period. The patient’s initial fasting regimen consisted of a 24-h fast, three times a week. Over the course of treatment, the patient gradually extended his fasting period, eventually fasting for 42 h, two to three times a week. By the end of treatment, the patient’s weight was reduced by 17.8% and his waist circumference was reduced by 11.0%. In addition, the patient’s glycated haemoglobin levels decreased from 7.7% to 7.2%, and he was able to completely discontinue his insulin treatment, despite over a decade of insulin usage. The patient did not find it difficult to adhere to the fasting schedule and did not experience any hypoglycaemic episodes or other significant adverse effects. These observations suggest that therapeutic fasting may be a viable treatment option for T2D patients.
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