A person in Australia is diagnosed with diabetes every five minutes, with many more going undiagnosed and suffering disastrous health consequences, but there is hope.
New research shows many Australians are putting type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes into remission within three months, courtesy of the low-carb program, Defeat Diabetes.
Since its launch in January 2021, the subscription-based program claims to have sent 63% of its members with type 2 diabetes into remission, with 100% of members previously taking insulin being able to discontinue its use and 30% of participants no longer needing to take medications such as metformin and exenatide.
A majority of members also report losing weight and enjoying increased health and wellbeing after three months.
Survey results
These findings come from the evidence-based program’s first efficacy survey. Defeat Diabetes’ founder is sports physician Dr Peter Brukner, who has worked in senior medical roles with the Australian cricket team, Liverpool Football Club, the Socceroos, Australia’s Olympic athletics team and AFL clubs Melbourne and Collingwood.
Dr Brukner was himself pre-diabetic in his fifties and successfully treated his metabolic issues by adopting a low carb lifestyle.
He’s currently Professor of Sports Medicine at La Trobe University and the founder of not-for-profit, SugarByHalf.
‘These are simply outstanding results that add to the growing body of evidence that demonstrates type 2 diabetes can be put into remission through a low carb lifestyle,’ said Dr Brukner.
‘I am delighted to see the Defeat Diabetes Program transforming Australian lives because, today, type 2 diabetes is the single biggest health issue the nation is facing. Education is the key to this epidemic.
‘The reality is that processed foods and carbs are making us fatter and risking our health,’ he said.
Expert backing
Defeat Diabetes is backed by a panel of pre-eminent medical specialists, including orthopaedic surgeons, cardiologists, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, GPs, dieticians and other health practitioners.
Other findings of the survey include:
- 84 per cent of participants said the program had changed their views on what ‘healthy eating’ means.
- 84 per cent of members reported a loss of weight, with an average drop of 7.65 kilograms (or 2.55 kilograms per month).
- 38 per cent reported an increase in energy levels after three months.
There are currently 1.2 million Australians with diabetes and a further two million with pre-diabetes, who are at risk of developing diabetes.
Defeat Diabetes says evidence indicates that a low carb lifestyle can help control glycaemic levels, support weight loss and in many cases, send pre-and type 2 diabetes into remission.
Today Defeat Diabetes has over 1,200 members. Using the iOS and Android app, members can learn from leading doctors and dieticians through 100+ hours of educational video, access low carb recipes, cooking demonstrations and a rich library of resources to help control their type 2 diabetes and achieve remission.
The Defeat Diabetes Program app is available via the Apple Store and Google Play. More information is available at www.defeatdiabetes.com.au.
