Until recently, traditional methods of measuring diabetes success outcomes have been somewhat limited. Standard care protocols have typically focused on monitoring daily blood glucose, HbA1C levels, over time, as well as body weight. While these continue to be important factors in understanding the success of a protocol, using these metrics alone– without understanding the delicate relationships between them– can lead to less accurate assessments of health outcomes and disease progression. For example, a lowered HbA1C value that only resulted from increased doses of medication is not necessarily optimal disease management; rather, a decreased reliance on medication overall (not to mention its often costly expense), without sacrificing glucose control, should be the ideal goal.

Today, we have a more comprehensive means of determining the success of a diabetes protocol - a metric called glycemic management. As an analysis tool, glycemic management not only tracks HbA1C levels, but also assesses your body’s ability to reduce its reliance on medication, and in certain cases, eliminate it entirely. By using this new metric as evidence, a recent study shows that non-invasive interventions like Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) protocols when used as part of comprehensive L-Nutra Health Programs can offer a 7x greater impact for those struggling with metabolic conditions like diabetes.

Why Glycemic Management Is A More Accurate Measurement Of Diabetes Success

While the standard care approach to managing diabetes has been more concerned with symptoms like elevated glucose levels might indicate, this new approach of using glycemic management as a guiding metric can better address the root causes of the disease itself. For example, type 2 diabetes tends to produce a see-saw effect where lowering medication can lead to increased blood sugar levels, and lowered blood sugar levels can sometimes require more medication. As a result, simply reporting lower HbA1C levels (particularly if achieved through increased doses or quantities of medication) is not necessarily proof of effective diabetes management. Glycemic management, on the other hand, takes into account the dosage and potency of any diabetes medications you may currently be on, as well as changes to your HbA1c levels over a period of several months, and offers a composite, more comprehensive score of “improved,” “stable,” or “deteriorated” diabetes management. Diabetes also used to be considered a progressive condition, which meant that even with standard care, HbA1C levels and medication reliance would typically increase over time. However, by using glycemic management to measure the effectiveness of non-invasive treatments like Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) protocols, for example, this no longer has to be the case.

How Can A Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) Impact My Glycemic Management?

A Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) is a prolonged, 5-day fast that’s been scientifically formulated to allow some food for nourishment, while not triggering your nutrient-sensing pathways, so your body remains in a fasting state. A recent study that measured changes in glycemic management shows that adding a monthly 5-day FMD for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over the course of one year resulted in measurable improvements to participants’ glycemic management score. In fact, 53% of those who included the FMD protocol showed significant glycemic management improvements, as opposed to only 8% in the control group. That’s about a 7x greater improvement in the FMD group compared to control. 

The study, which was conducted over a period of 12 months, and included an additional year of patient follow-up, highlighted the following key findings:

• Medication reduction. Those incorporating the FMD were much more likely to lower their medication dosages, specifically a 40% reduction in the FMD group, as opposed to only 5% in participants who did not use FMD.
  
  
• Insulin Sensitivity. The study’s FMD group participants demonstrated an improved sensitivity to insulin.
  
  
• Anthropometric Benefits. The FMD participants reported healthy weight loss, reduced waist circumference and BMI (body mass index), without loss of muscle mass.

The results of this research are particularly notable because they offer evidence to support the FMD as a potentially effective nutrition-led, non-invasive, and non-pharmaceutical tool for managing and improving metabolic imbalances. By incorporating a monthly FMD into your treatment plan, you may see measurable benefits to your long term health, including glycemic management.

Learn more about incorporating a comprehensive FMD program to support metabolic health, and find out how glycemic management is helping guide the future of diabetes health outcomes by exploring these latest research insights.