Doctor — your article is no doubt ‘technically’ correct but in my humble opinion is of little help to the average person let alone someone who suffers from obesity or diabetes — or both.

Regardless of the technicalities of the science(s) it remains a ‘practical’ fact that a calorie reduced diet, particularly, but not necessarily, if it includes a reduction in sugar(s) and particularly processed white sugars (glucose), will achieve weight loss for just about anyone and regardless of their mobility or their regime of level of exercise (if any).

Let’s call it ‘bartering’ instead of ‘currency’ — long before any common currencies, or methods of adjusting from one currency to another, peoples of all walks of life would ‘barter’, i.e. exchange goods or services for other goods or services.

So it is with calorie reduction diets, or indeed ‘lifestyle adjustments’ — one trades un-monitored calorie intake for a monitored calorie intake to reduce weight and indeed in some cases reverse glucose intolerance and hence reversing type 2 diabetes. Of course adding exercise into the mix will accelerate the achievements.

about the author: I am not a physician nor a scientist — I was obese and am very close to reversing my type 2 diabetes, primarily through weight reduction via a calorie reduction diet (inclusive of intermittent fasting). Anyone, unless very ill and medically advised not to reduce their calorie intake or those with a genetic weight disorder that negates any form of dieting, can be successful — if they want to be.

p.s. weight loss of 15kg over 4 months (from 106kg) has improved blood pressure to such an extent that I no longer need medication to control hypertension