How does intermittent fasting lessen the symptoms of type II diabetes?
Patients with type II diabetes have two problems in their glucose metabolism: their pancreas does not produce enough insulin, and their cells are resistant to insulin (Figure 1). While controlling blood glucose levels in type II diabetic patients is done mainly through insulin-injections or oral medications such as metformin, lifestyle changes are equally, if not more important in reversing the effects of the disease. These changes, which include the incorporation of low-carbohydrate diets, daily glucose monitoring, and frequent exercise, are all meant to return glucose metabolism back to normal.
One promising lifestyle change is intermittent fasting, a time restricted-diet regimen that works to regulate blood glucose levels [1]. Clinical trials have found that intermittent fasting may reduce free glucose levels in the bloodstreams of type II diabetes patients. This site is dedicated to exploring and demonstrating the various pathways and mechanisms that lie behind the impacts of intermittent fasting on blood glucose levels.
Great job introducing your website! When you refer to figure 1 in the first paragraph, it mentions bringing glucose metabolism back to normal, however the photo seems to be solely referring to how blood glucose shoots up. I think it might be beneficial to show, either in a modified Figure 1 or in another simple figure, how daily glucose monitoring and frequent exercise are meant to change the malfunctioning pathway shown in Figure 1. I’m excited to learn more!
The sentence referencing the figure was rearranged to refer to glucose metabolism in Type II diabetics rather than returning the blood glucose back to normal (since this will be explained in the pathways). More information was added to the figure caption to give a brief comparison to regular glucose metabolism.
I really appreciate the clarity and directness of this page – it effectively establishes the website’s focus on tackling type II diabetes and seamlessly introduces the concept of intermittent fasting. The incorporation of a study, delving into the impact of intermittent fasting on lowering free-floating glucose in Type II diabetic patients, also adds a much needed layer of credibility to your question. This in-turn pulls me into the website as a whole as I become interested in knowing whether intermittent fasting really has such an effect. The inclusion of a diagram was a clever strategy in offering background information on Type II diabetes without overwhelming the reader. Well done!
Really nice introduction! Everything is succinct yet sums up perfectly what’s next in terms of your biochemical explanations. I especially liked how you initially talked about the effectiveness of lifestyle changes in managing type II diabetes over simply taking certain medications, and how you connected this idea to the concept of intermittent fasting. I thought that was a very eloquent way to highlight the immense potential in this natural approach, which you explain in great detail later on.
I liked the succinct background given on type II diabetes. I think the figure was helpful to my understanding, but it would have been nice if the basic idea behind type II diabetes was talked about, as shown in O4 of the figure. I think this info could be included before talking about medication or other remedies. Lastly, including a source in the introduction was a good way to build rapport with the readers.
This was added as the first sentence. A hyperlink to the background was also added which elaborates more on type 2 diabetes.
I think this is an amazing introduction, I appreciate how concisely the information is presented. Establishing how type II diabetes has previously been controlled followed by the a promising intervention was a great way of introducing the cite. The addition of figure 1 provided a clear visualization of what processes are happening. I would have liked to see some quantification of reduction in free glucose levels, however, I think it was great to leave it as it is because as a reader, it made me more enthusiastic about wanting to know the how and why this lifestyle change is promising.