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# Calorie restriction helps severely obese diabetics
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/calorie_restriction_helps_severely_obese_diabetics_031120120817/
- Published: 2012-03-11T21:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:55:19.000Z
- Description: In a study from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, seven days of a 400-calorie diet lowered fasting glucose and triglycerides in severely obese type 2 diabetes patients and improved both phases of insulin secretion, with 3.22% weight loss and no gain in insulin sensitivity.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Diabetes, Avoiding Illness, Obesity, Calorie Restriction, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Sunday March 11, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- [One report](https://www.foodconsumer.org/fasting%5Fhelps%5Ffight%5Fcancer%5Feffectively%5F0311120349/) posted on foodconsumer.org says that fasting can help fight cancer. Now a new study a very low calorie diet helps severely obese diabetes patients.

The study led by I Malandrucco of University of Rome Tor Vergata in Rome, Italy and colleagues found 7 days of a very low calorie diet (400 kcal per day)lowered fasting plasma glucose and triglycerides in additiono to 3.22 percent weight loss.

The authors reported that the diabetes patients after the dietary regimen were able to increase their body's capability to disoise a glucose load to 76 ml per min per meter square of body surface area.

They also observed these improvements were accompanied by improvements in indexes of both first and second-phase insulin secretion, but no insulin sensitivity was improved.

Calorie restriction was found to improve glucose control quickly in obese diabetics, independent of weight loss status, according to the study report.

The researchers concluded that it was the amelioration of beta cell function that drastically improved the metabolic profile in the severely obese patients with type 2 diabetes after a 7-day very low calorie diet.

An estimated 26 million Americans live with type 2 diabetes. One third of adults may be obese in the U.S. Both diabetes and obesity may result from a unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Modiciation of lifestyle parameters can help improve the condition of diabetes.