Fasting’s effect on diabetes

On July 6, Zion Williamson, basketball’s newest No. 1 pick, began his career with the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA Las Vegas Summer League game. The star-studded crowd of attendees included the Lakers’ LeBron James, New Orleans’ Lonzo Ball and boxer Floyd Mayweather. Williamson rattled the rim with 11 points in the first nine minutes, but then was benched by a knee “tweak” that kept him from playing a full game. But wait — there was no full game! Around eight minutes before the final buzzer, a 7.1 earthquake rattled the arena. Talk about intermittent interruptions!

When it comes to sports, interruptions can ruin a player’s rhythm, but when it comes to reversing prediabetes and preventing Type 2 diabetes, intermittent interruptions may be a great benefit.

A lab study published in Metabolism found that obesity can lead to fatty pancreas disease — the accumulation of fat cells around the insulin-producing beta cells in that organ. That causes the beta cells to crank out excess insulin until they become exhausted. Then, without sufficient insulin, you end up with out-of-control blood glucose levels.

Want to avoid that? The researchers found that intermittent fasting prevents accumulation of fat in the pancreas and preserves beta cells’ functioning.

The smart move to beat back diabetes is to eat most of your calories (70% to 80%) before 3 p.m., and have your last food before sunset. Then, wait 13 to 16 hours to eat again (you can drink water, unsweetened tea and black coffee). That will help keep you from getting benched by diabetes and its complications.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.