Your immune system is also being compromised due to the lack of sustenance, vitamins and minerals.Some would argue that its incredibly irresponsible to do this kind of long term fasting in the public eye, especially when there are so many risks involved. However, it is true that yes, some research shows that a low carb diet can help with the treatment of diabetes. I would suggest for those with diabetes to look into a low carb diet, but fasting for long periods of time should not be promoted or glamorised.
Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert agrees. Fasting this extreme is most certainly not setting a good example nor encouraging healthy relationships with food.
"Of course managing your glucose levels is a crucial part of managing diabetes but by selecting a diet that works for you with the right amount of carbs (found in vegetables,wholegrains and pulses) you can eat well and live well too. Each case is going to be unique and require unique nutrition.
"As for exercising like this on so little fuel, yes its possible as fat is a source of energy, but not safe for many reasons. Carbs are the bodies preferred fuel source and also impactour brain function. As an Olympic athlete James is already at a good level of fitness and has a measured understanding of his body. I urge everyone not to try this at home without medical and nutritional supervision."
According to Bupa Health Clinics medical directorDr Arun Thiyagarajan, the human body can burn fat for energy as Cracknell says - butto perform at our best we need to consume a healthy, balanced diet. "While crash diets or short-term challenges may seem appealing, the results can often be short-lived and, in some cases, can even be harmful to our bodies. Instead, people should focus on making smaller, sustainable changes, which will helpmanagehealth and weight in the long-term," he says.
"The body is able to use both carb and fat as a fuel. This does not translate into it being ideal to therefore use one above the other. Carbs the preferred source of fuel for both brain and muscles. Other fuels can be used, but that doesn't mean it is physiologically advantageous or of health benefit to do so long term," adds registered dietitian Laura Clark.
As for diabetes, thisis caused by too much fat accumulating inside the liver and pancreas. It's true that losing weight and being activeis an effective prevention, according to the NHS.And, according to some, a cure.
The research of Professor Roy Taylor, a diabetologist and the author of Life Without Diabetes: The Definitive Guide to Understanding and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes covers the reversal of type 2 diabetes and seeks to show how diets and weight loss can put diabetes into remission, proving that it is not an inevitably progressive disease. Taylor recently co-led a study which showed more than a third of people with Type 2 diabetes who took part in a weight management programme delivered by the NHS through GP surgeries remain free of diabetes two years later.
Agrowing body of scientific research also suggests that adopting alow-carb diet in particular (in which your body produces ketones from broken down fats in the liver for energy, rather than relying on insulin to convert carbohydrates) may have specific benefits for people with Type 2 diabetes and improve insulin sensitivity.
When a Danish study carried out in 2019 by scientists from Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen and Bispebjerg Hospital examined whether a low-carb diet would improve the insulin response in patients withTtype 2 diabetes, it found that it did.
A lower carb diet meant less insulin was required in the bloodstream after the low-carb meals - giving the body a chance to recover while the liver and pancreas shed the fat impairing normal functioning. Patients with type 2 diabetes improved their ability to regulate their blood sugar levels by eating food with a reduced carbohydrate content and an increased share of protein and fat.
A total of 28 type 2 diabetic patients were examined during the 12 week cross-over study, published in the journal Diabetologica. During six weeks of the study, patients were randomly assigned to a low-moderate carb diet or a low-fat diet, and then switched for the second half of the study.
"We hypothesised this combination would improve glucose control in Type 2 diabetics and reduce the fat content in the liver reducing the risk of non-alcoholic liver disease. This was shown to be correct, reported Dr Thure Krarup, from the Department of Endocrinology at Bispebjerg Hospital. The study shows that by reducing the share of carbohydrates in the diet and increasing the share of protein and fat, you can both treat high blood sugar and reduce liver fat content. Further intensive research is needed in order to optimise our dietary recommendations for patients with type 2 diabetes.
But how low-carb should you go? According to this study, a low carb diet can be defined as 10-25 percent of calorie intake. Depending on a person's calorie requirements this could be as low as 50g of carbohydrates per day, or 3 slices of white bread, which is very different approach to fasting with no calories or carbohydrates at all for five days.
"In our study we used 30 per cent, so the diet was a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet. The reason for this being there's a need to have a certain amount of carbohydrates in a healthy diet and also that the diet should be convenient and tasty."
The evidence-based Diabetes UK nutrition guidelines also suggest that low carbohydrate diets are helpful for people with Type 2 diabetes. Although they recommend an individualised approach to diet taking into consideration the persons personal and cultural preferences, they also state that people at risk of diabetes should eat more of certain foods such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, fish, nuts and pulses and less red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates and sugar sweetened beverages.
