A randomized clinical trial has been conducted on Chinese adults with early type 2 diabetes to explore the effectiveness of an intermittent fasting meal replacement diet in controlling blood glucose levels. The study is published in JAMA Network Open . Study: A 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Meal Replacement Diet and Glycemic Control for Adults With Diabetes Type 2 diabetes has become a major public health crisis worldwide.
According to the International Diabetes Federation report published in 2021, about 537 million adults are living with type 2 diabetes globally. China has the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world. The country has witnessed a 56.
6% increase in diabetic adults between 2011 and 2021. The current prevalence of diabetes in China is 12.4%.
Moreover, about 50% of the Chinese general population is either overweight or obese. Obesity and overweight are the major risk factors for diabetes development. It has been observed that an improvement in glycemic control and a reduction in antidiabetic drug dosage can be achieved through body weight reduction.
Meal replacement is a valuable weight loss strategy wherein a prepackaged food or beverage is substituted for one or more meals. Existing randomized clinical trials have shown that meal replacement is more effective than other diets in achieving weight loss. In this randomized clinical trial, scientists have investigated whether a combination of a 5:2 intermittent fasting diet and a meal replacement diet can effectively.
