Type 2 diabetes can in fact be curedin four months

Closely linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects more than 3 million Canadians and more than 830,000 Quebeckers.

This makes it a clinical issue and a public health problem that is a huge burden on our society and our health care system. Indeed, billions of dollars of our taxes are being swallowed up to take care of the health problems that develop progressively.

For his part, the doctor will, among other things, treat hypertension, cholesterol and blood sugar to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and monitor the complications of diabetes that will settle slyly with the years (sores on the feet that heal badly, the kidneys that work less well, an attack on the eyes, the weakening heart, etc.).

Many doctors will also emphasize to their diabetic patients the importance of eating better and moving more. However, they are not equipped to evaluate the quality of the diet, the level of physical activity, physical fitness, nor the famous visceral fat and internal fat deposits that are harmful to health.

Treat without medication
Thus, the current health system allows doctors to treat type 2 diabetes, but essentially with drugs. Such an approach is useful, certainly, but in 2018, science tells us that we could do a lot better.

Indeed, numerous studies carried out in Europe, in Asia and at home at IUCPQ and Université Laval have shown that in individuals at risk of developing diabetes, recalibrate the diet, make physical activity of almost daily and losing 4 cm waist circumference could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60%. A masterful result!

Even better, a recent study by Dr. Michel Lean, a doctor at the University of Glasgow, showed that not only could type 2 diabetes be prevented, but that it could even be cured, a subject that remained highly controversial in medical scientific literature. However, some conditions are necessary: ​​the patients who were followed in this study had to have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for less than six years.

Detecct Quickly

Indeed, when the disease is long established, many experts consider that it becomes very difficult to achieve a complete remission, although the lifestyle can still significantly improve the health profile and quality of life. 'a patient.

It is therefore important to quickly detect type 2 diabetes. Moreover, and this condition is absolutely essential, the family physicians involved in this Scottish study have received support from additional resources to target diet and induce a loss. weight. The results obtained are spectacular.

Well-staffed and well-equipped family physicians can help their patients with type 2 diabetes to heal if the diagnosis is made relatively early! A flat in this study: physical activity was recommended, but was not supervised by kinesiologists, so that at the end of the intervention, patients ate better and less, and lost weight, but were not more active!

We could do even better than our Scottish colleagues by improving the intervention program by monitoring physical activity with kinesiologists. We have the science and expertise in Quebec to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have to live with diabetes or who are at risk of becoming diabetic.