Dr. Jason Fung is a Consultant Nephrologist who trained and began his medical career at the University of Toronto before heading to the University of California in Los Angeles where he completed his fellowship in nephrology. Since then he has founded the Intensive Dietary Management Program, which provides a unique treatment for Type 2 Diabetes & Obesity.

This BJSM podcast sees @Liam_West pose the questions and Dr. Fung take the listeners through the evidence behind the impact of diet on obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Jason explains that, whilst the #LCHF model of “Carbohydrates  Insulin  Obesity” is not wrong, it is incomplete. He reiterates that the main player in the development of obesity and T2DM is INSULIN – not merely high carbohydrates.

Jason believes that the calories in/calories out model that has previously been described is incorrect. He explains the evidence and builds upon the #LCHF model to include the importance of insulin resistance and meal timing. In T2DM, this resistance leads to Beta-cell dysfunction. Evidence exists that this process can be reversed and therefore T2DM should not be considered to be a chronic progressive disease – it is curable with bariatric surgery and caloric prescription.

The take home message for the podcast from Jason is to eat #RealFood, #ConsiderInsulin and #EmpowerPatients to regain control over diabetes.

Literature Discussed in Podcast & Further Reading

INTERMAP Study (2003) - http://www.nature.com/jhh/journal/v17/n9/abs/1001605a.html

KITAVA Study (1995)- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026049599902585

Insulin Resistance - One - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00279918

Insulin Resistance - Two - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025712507000983

Insulin Resistance - Three - http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/56/4/984.short

Lancet Infant Obesity (2010) - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610601717

NEWCASTLE Study (2009) - http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/342/

Dietary Fibre reduces Insulin Resistance - http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx%3FarticleID=192034

Curing Diabetes – Surgical treatment diabetes - http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/55/2/582S.short

Curing Diabetes - Gastric Banding - http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx%3Farticleid=1149302

Curing Diabetes - Fasting & Bariatric Surgery - http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/9/2741.short

Curing Diabetes - ACCORD - http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe0804182

Curing Diabetes - Losing weight doesn’t work - http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa033179

Curing Diabetes - Calorie restriction induces restoration of hepatic insulin sensitivity - http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/4/1047.short

Intensive Dietary Management Website - With educational lectures and other content - http://intensivedietarymanagement.com