- Reversing Diabetes: Success Story of a Man Who Beat Type 2 Diabetes with a Low-Carb Diet
- Low-Carb Initiatives: Innovative Programs Helping Type 2 Diabetes Patients Achieve Health Improvements
- Effective Approach: The Lifestyle Club’s Online Program Offers Support and Education for Diabetes Management
Nazir Hussain, a senior with type 2 diabetes for nearly ten years, was almost resigned to lifelong lethargy and medication.
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2014, the 67-year-old former postman from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, weighed 14 stone and took metformin and high blood pressure medication daily.
“I was exhausted from gardening alone,” he says. It was unfortunate. Yet, one year after commencing a low-carb diet in May 2022, the divorced father of five had lost 3 stone 10 pounds and reduced his waist size from 36 inches to 32 inches.
He says, “I never imagined I would ever feel as good as I do now.”
By May of last year, Nazir’s HbA1c level (a measure of his long-term blood sugar control) had declined from 60 mmol/mol to 40, indicating that he had cured his diabetes (the threshold for diabetes is 48). Remarkably, he has been able to stop taking his medications for diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Harvard University study, published in the journal Diabetes Care and involving 10,000 patients with type 2, found that those who adhered to a low-carb diet were 24% less likely to perish prematurely from any cause than those who did not.
It is ‘fascinating’ to see patients succeed.
Nazir was one of the first patients to use an innovative diabetic project after his primary care physician referred him. The Lifestyle Club (TLC), an online program that supports patients in their own homes.
It is one of several new ‘grassroots’ low-carb schemes being used by GPs across the country to help type 2 diabetes patients — and presumably begin to turn the tide on an epidemic that affects at least 4.8 million Britons, or one in fourteen of us.
Dr. Karen Johnson from the Poplar Grove surgery in Aylesbury says, “This program has been a huge success. And we’ve seen many patients lose weight and reduce their blood sugar levels.” Dr. Johnson is Nazir’s general practitioner. “It’s thrilling to see our patients flourish in this manner.
Our practise is blessed because we lack the means and time to educate and support these patients for long-term success.
The TLC program was created by the Public Health Collaboration, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and medical professionals about the use of lifestyle adjustments to treat chronic diseases. A nutritionist and 10 health consultants also provide nutritional guidance, food suggestions, and peer support groups.
Patients attend eight online 90-minute sessions per week in groups of 12 via Zoom. There is also an online support group available after the course has concluded.
At the core of the program is a low-carb approach targeted at lowering blood sugar: chronically elevated blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels over time, resulting in serious diseases.
A low-carb diet promotes the consumption of meat, eggs, and salmon, as well as large quantities of leafy green vegetables. Nuts, some fruit, and full-fat dairy products, such as cheese, milk, and cream. Due to their impact on blood sugar levels, foods to avoid include sugary treats such as cookies and sugary beverages. Also those that are high in carbohydrates, such as breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, potato, rice, and couscous.
General practitioners can send type 2 diabetes and prediabetes patients to TLC.
