Taupō doctor: Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with diet

Taupo GP Glen Davies wants to improve the food knowledge of those with type 2 diabetes in the hope of sending the chronic illness into remission. Photo / Rachel Canning

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed.

This is the message a group of Taupō health professionals are determined to publicise on World Diabetes Day, next Thursday.

Reverse Type 2 Diabetes spokesperson Sarah Hancock says the group meets every Wednesday to provide information around reversing Type 2 diabetes with a ketogenic diet.

Interest from the New Zealand diabetic community is strong. Facebook page @ReverseT2DiabetesTaupo started in August 2018 and has 1800 followers. Sarah says around 800 followers are from the Taupō community and the rest are from all over the country.

Sarah says a high carbohydrate diet is implicated in a range of chronic diseases.

"Type 2 diabetes is a failure of carbohydrate metabolism. So it doesn't make sense to throw more carbs at it if you have already got diabetes," says Sarah.

Typically, with drug treatment type 2 diabetes gets progressively worse over time. Sarah says there is strong scientific evidence emerging that a ketogenic diet can enable remission for type 2 diabetes.

"This is very important research, especially as type 2 diabetes was long thought of as irreversible," says Sarah.

A ketogenic diet is a high fat / low carb diet and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taupō member and general practitioner Dr Glen Davies has been on a mission to educate the public about what this diet looks like for people with type 2 diabetes. He says a good way to make healthy food choices is to shop around the outside of the supermarket where the whole foods are found.

"Buy the fresh fruit and veges, the dairy products, the frozen veg and meat and fish. Skip the alcohol."

Symptoms for those with type 2 diabetes can include feeling unusually thirsty, needing to urinate more often, having infections that take a long time to heal, blurry vision, feeling tired with low energy, or unexpected weight loss.

"You might have one symptom, more, or none at all - the only way to truly know if you have type 2 diabetes is to have a blood test," says Dr Davies.

On November 14, a medical team from Taupō Medical Centre are providing free health checks for anyone who thinks they may have type 2 diabetes. Medical staff will visit Waitahanui Community Hall and Te Rangiita Marae in Taupō. On-the-spot results will be given for blood glucose and blood pressure.

"From the results, information will be given to each person about diabetes and their situation," says Sarah.

Following the health checks, an information session will be held at the Great Lake Centre. The topic for the evening is the Pillars of Health, how to use lifestyle as preventative medicine. The $5 entry fee will go towards education resources that Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Taupō gives to the public.

Sarah says guest speaker Professor Grant Schofield is a thought leader in health, wellbeing, human potential and the science of chronic disease prevention. He spent his early childhood in Tūrangi and is "highly entertaining", although everything he says is backed by rigorous science.

Public health expert and Auckland University of Technology director of The Human Potential Centre, Prof Schofield has driven a nationwide change in low carbohydrate-healthy fat eating for many groups battling obesity and chronic conditions. He is the co-author of What The Fat? book and spoke at The Great Nutrition Debate to a sell-out crowd at the Great Lake Centre in May.

On World Diabetes Day Professor Grant Schofield is giving a lecture in Taupō on low carbohydrate-healthy fat eating. Photo / Dean Purcell.

So far the results are only self-reported for those with type 2 diabetes who are following a ketogenic diet.

"The self-reported feedback is that with the supervision of their doctor, people are reducing their medication as their diabetes goes into remission. It's too early to say if they are cured [of type 2 diabetes]."

* On Thursday November 14 free health checks for diabetes are being held at Waitahanui Community Hall at 2pm to 3.30pm, and at Te Rangiita Marae on Pitiroi St from 4pm to 5.30pm. Prof Grant Schofield will be speaking at Taupō's Great Lake Centre at 7pm, $5 entry, tickets available at Kefi, Health 2000, Bin Inn, Raw Balance Takeaway Deli & Health Shop, Great Lake Physio and Taupō Medical Centre.