AUTHOR: Dr. Al Sears, MD, CND
Mainstream doctors will tell you there’s no cure for dIabetes.
As soon as you’re diagnosed, they’ll likely put you on metformin… a drug that can cause side effects like dizziness, fatigue, cardiovascular reactions, flu-like symptoms, muscle pain, stomach pain, diarrhea and anemia.
Your ancient ancestors didn’t use metformin — and they didn’t get diabetes. The way they lived prevented diabetes.
Modern science is finally catching onto our ancestors’ wisdom. Recent research proves that adopting some of their lifestyle can reverse the disease.
In an exciting New study, researchers from the University of Southern California have discovered that intermittent fasting — which mimics the ancient primal lifestyle of “feast and famine” — can turn around both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
You see, for millions of years, the day-to-day lives of your primal ancestors fluctuated naturally between periods of feast and famine.
That means they often went for long periods of time with very little food — at least until the next successful hunt or gathering expedition. But these extended periods of hunger didn’t damage their bodies. It had the opposite effect — it regenerated them.
Now, thousands of years later, this incredible healing power remains hardwired into your biological makeup.
More than 80 years of research proves that intermittent fasting triggers powerful health benefitS and even slows the aging process.1
Now scientists have discovered that intermittent fasting also triggers the regeneration of key pancreas cells.
This is big news in the fight against diabetes.
You see, your pancreas produces insulin — the hormone that controls your blood sUgar levels.
The new study, published in the journal Cell, conducted intermittent-fasting experiments on mice with type 1 and type 2 diabetes — as well as on human tissue samples from people with type 1 diabetes.2 And they were amazed by the results.
Previous groundbreaking research from USC shows that intermittent fasting causes stem cells to awaken from their normal dormant state and start regenerating.3
And the latest study reveals that’s exactly what happens in your pancreas.
The USC researchers’ “feast-and-famine” mimicking diet kick-started a special type of cell in the pancreas called a beta cell. These are the cells that identify sugar in the blood and release insulin if it gets too high.
By regenerating pancreas beta cells, the researchers were able to rescue mice from type 1 and late-stage type 2 diabetes.
And they also reactivated insulin production in human pancreatic cells from type 1 diabetes patients.
The USC study used a modified version of the ancient feast and famine diet to regenerate the insulin-producing pancreatic cells — a low-calorie, low-protein, low-carbohydrate but high-fat diet.
The researchers noted that the human equivalent of the diet contains around 800 to 1,100 calories a day for five days, with lots of nuts and soups. Then you get 25 days of eating normally — so overall it mimics ancient periods of feast and famine.
Earlier studies show that fasting two to four days at a time every six months also causes adult stem cells to regenerate.4
But I recommend that my patients start with a safe, simple regimen that calls for an 8-hour eating window each day, followed by a 16-hour fast. Here’s how it works:
- Start your day with a 10 a.m. breakfast;
- Lunch at your regular time;
- Finish your dinner by 6 p.m.;
- Your body gets no additional food from 6 p.m. until 10 a.m. the next morning.
When your body gets used to the 16-hour fast, you can move up to the 24-hour mark.
And after your body gets used to the 24-hour fast, you can begin stepping up to the two-to-four-day fasts featured in the earlier USC study.
Make sure to drInk plenty of water to hydrate and flush out toxins — no matter how long you fast. I’m not suggesting you can eat with abandon during the non-fasting periods — but you should avoid sugar and starch, and focus on proteins and healthy fats, like:
- Grass-fed meats
- Eggs;
- Nuts, like walnuts, almonds and pistachios
- Avocado
- Wild-caught fish
- Raw, organic yogurt and other dairy products
- Beans and other legumes
Please Note: Fasting isn’t for everyone. You should always consult with your physician before fasting.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
Did you find the Red Letters? INSULIN
References:
1. McCay CM, Crowell MF, Maynard LA. The effect of retarded growth upon the length of life span and upon the ultimate body size. Nutrition. 1935;5:155-71.
2. Cheng CW, Villani V, et al. “Fasting-Mimicking Diet Promotes Ngn3-Driven β-Cell Regeneration to Reverse Diabetes.” Cell. Volume 168, Issue 5, p775–788.e12, 23 February 2017
3. Cheng CW, Adams GB, et al. “Prolonged Fasting Reduces IGF-1/PKA to Promote Hematopoietic-Stem-Cell-Based Regeneration and Reverse Immunosuppression.” Cell Stem Cell , Vol 14 , Issue 6 , 810 – 823
4. Ibid.
