Increasing protein intake can reverse diabetes, ICMR suggests
India’s largest ongoing diabetes study has opened up a formula to reverse or slow down the onset of diabetes. The focus in diabetes care has shifted from mere medication to its reversal. Doctors working on the study have suggested that in order to achieve this goal, one’s diet needs to comprise proteins making up to 20% of the daily calorie needs, carbohydrates should be around 50-56% and fat, a lot below 30%.
Researchers of the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDAB) analyzed the dietary practices of more than eighteen thousand adults. The study revealed that patients who have newly been diagnosed with diabetes should make sure that their carbohydrate intake is between 49-54% of the daily calorie intake.
Dr. Shashank Joshi, senior endocrinologist from Mumbai, and one of the authors of the latest study at ICMR-INDAB, said that type-2 diabetes in early stages can be reversed by reducing carbohydrate and increasing protein, apart from lifestyle adherence. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which there is too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream.
“My mantra for diabetes prevention is eat on time and eat slowly”, added Dr. Joshi.
It was also seen that Indians consume around 2, 500 kilocalories daily, with carbohydrates making up to 65-80% of their intake.
One of the main authors of the study, Dr. Anjana Mohan stated that we Indians are deficient in proteins and if we ensure that proteins make up to 20% of our daily diet, it will prove to be beneficial and will help immensely. Furthermore, if carb intake is reduced, the proportion of fat will automatically reduce.
Also, the formula for those with pre-diabetes suggests a slightly higher intake of carbohydrates, that is, 56%.
The diet formula has been worked out for various groups of people, based on their ages and diabetes diagnosis and has been published in ‘Diabetes Care’ which is an indexed journal of the American Diabetes Association.
The cure of diabetes has become a major focus as 77 million Indians have diabetes, which means that one in every six people with diabetes in the world is an Indian; and estimates suggest that the number can reach 134 million by the year 2045.