Reversing Diabetes With A Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet

"Sugar is the number one driver of chronic disease"

- Prof Tim Noakes

In this second part of my newsletter, Professor Tim Noakes and I share with you a comprehensive view on human physiology in terms of diet.  Tim Noakes is an emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town and the chairman of The Noakes Foundation. The aim of his foundation is to advance medical science’s understanding of the benefits of a low-carb high-fat (LCHF) diet by providing evidence-based information on optimum nutrition. He has authored several books like The Real Meal Revolution, Raising Superheroes, Lore of Nutrition, Diabetes Unpacked, Superfood for Super Children and Waterlogged to name a few. His most recent work is the development of  'The Nutrition Network', which is a certification and training program for doctors who want to prescribe a high-fat, low-carb diet to their patients. 

You can watch the full episode with Prof. Tim Noakes here, or click here to stream it on your preferred podcast streaming channel.

Today we’ll talk about the Low-Carb High-Fat Diet (LCHF) and how it can promote health, well-being, and longevity. When it comes to choosing a diet to follow, it is imperative to pick one that incorporates essential micro and macro nutrients, enhances performance, and helps in keeping diseases at bay. 

Reversing Diabetes with a Low Carb Diet  

“Treating diabetes with insulin is the worst possible way of doing it” 

- Prof Tim Noakes

In the 1920s, people wanted to treat diabetes in the youth and children. But before people could become aware of a low carb diet and its benefits for diabetics, insulin was discovered and became the primary treatment for controlling diabetes. The main problem with this was that people were not getting better—they were just not succumbing to the disease; and this was celebrated as a success which continues to this day. 

You may have heard that carbohydrates are essential in giving us energy and even help in controlling blood glucose and insulin metabolism. But in 1978 Prof. Noakes and his colleague tested a hypothesis on low-carb diets. He found that it was difficult for him to control his insulin level except when he was on a low carb diet. He in fact was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 28. After shifting to a low carb diet he found that he had lost all the excess accumulated weight, got rid of diabetes, and is still completely healthy without any major complications. Despite this discovery he faced a lot of criticism for advocating a low carb, high fat diet and people today still are against this type of diet despite the popularity of the keto diet and other similar low carb diets.

According to Prof Noakes, to treat diabetes effectively patients need to get off insulin and reduce their blood glucose level with diet. This can be achieved by reducing the amount of carbohydrates. If you have insulin resistance—where there is an over secretion of insulin in response to carbohydrates—following a low fat-high carb diet can actually damage your cells.

Insulin and the Risk of Heart Disease

“Smoking is not the highest risk factor for heart disease, its diabetes” 

- Prof Tim Noakes

People with adult onset type 2 diabetes have high insulin production. Despite this they are given more insulin to bring down glucose. Too much insulin production has been linked to vascular diseases. This was evidenced by a study on women who were put on a low-fat, high-carb diet that made them more prone to heart disease later on. 

Apart from pushing glucose into the cells, insulin generates de novo hepatic triglycerides in the body. The increase in triglyceride levels gets deposited in the liver that causes visceral fat to develop. Visceral fat is the cause of many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even mental health issues. 

The Change Necessary to Live a Long, Healthy Life

“You can eat good food without it being expensive” 

- Prof Tim Noakes

Buying healthy and fresh produce gets us one step closer to leading a longer, happier life. When we make conscious decisions to improve the quality of our life we automatically reduce the amount we have to spend on medicines required to keep us alive. According to Prof. Noakes, to lead a healthy life, you need to make the following changes: 

• Cut out all ultra processed foods
• Eat only natural foods
• Cut out sugar and sugary beverages, including added sugar in your tea and coffee 
• Don't shop at supermarkets, except for meat, fish, dairy and vegetables

I am a firm believer of incorporating small healthy lifestyle changes that can become sustainable habits in the future. You have the power to decide what fuel you put into yourself and the life you want to lead.   

How can you get started?

To get started on your journey towards a healthier and longer life by focusing on your diet, the best way forward is to speak to a physician, 

You can book a session with me, and we can chat about getting you started on your health journey.  

If you found this topic of interest, then check out the podcast episode I hosted on my podcast, THE EDGE with Prof Tim Noakes on exercise and nutrition. You can watch the full episode here, or click here to stream it on your preferred podcast streaming platform.

This newsletter is a part of our ongoing series.