We sometimes say that eating crap destroys our health. But how about feces, could that reverse type 2 diabetes?
You think I’m kidding?
Not at all. Because a new study from University of Amsterdam and published in the journal Cell Metabolism shows that feces can drastically improve type 2 diabetes.
But, of course, only if consumed in the right way.
You’ve heard of blood D transfusion, organ transplantation, and egg donation, but feces donation and fecal transplantation – that’s something new.
Regardless, an increasing amount of research indicates this might be a possible remedy for many health conditions because of the bacteria in the feces.
Dutch researchers hypothesized that fecal transplants from healthy people to diabetic patients could improve insulin resistant of type 2 diabetics as the bacteria flora in the healthy people would override the one in the diabetics.
They recruited 38 obese people with the metabolic syndrome.
Six weeks after the fecal transplant, they took blood and stool samples, finding that half of the diabetics responded much better to insulin and their blood sugar was consequently much lower.
Sadly, three months later, their gut bacteria had returned to their previous state and their insulin resistance increased again. So, for now at least, this is not a permanent solution.
You can, however, significantly improve your gut bacteria without fecal transplantation:
1. Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible.
2. Eat lots of fiber to grow harmless bacteria. These include whole grains, beans, lentils, and leafy green vegetables.
3. Eat fermented foods like yogurt, tempeh, and sauerkraut.