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How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes – With Adam Sud

Article written and reviewed by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD
Published June 14, 2017

Meet Adam.

When Adam was in his 20’s he began eating fast-food to deal with his existing Adderall (ADHD medication) addiction [1:22]. He gained 110 pounds in 3 years, and he felt horrible.

Overweight and addicted to fast-foods, Adam realized that he needed a change [1:45]. Part of his entrance into rehab involved a health physical, and this led to the discovery that Adam had type 2 diabetes [1:58]. His blood glucose at the time was over 300mg/dL!

This shocking number motivated Adam to take action. He went straight to the physical trainer at the facility to talk about starting an exercise regimen immediately [3:31].

A year earlier, Adam had been to a nutrition education course given by Rip Esselstyn about living a plant-based diet [3:01]. This gave him the tools he needed to move toward a plant-based approach. 

Being in rehab limited Adam’s food choices, but he transitioned toward a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet as he was able [3:18]. After rehab, Adam began pursuing a plant-based approach more intensely. He used egg whites omelettes loaded with vegetables for a while to help ease the transition to eating so many vegetables [5:28].

Over time, with a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, Adam was able to stop the following medications [6:44, 10:49]:

  • Metformin, 1500mg per day (for type 2 diabetes)
  • Janumet, 50mg per day (for type 2 diabetes)
  • Lisinopril, 10mg (for high blood pressure)
  • Trazodone, 200mg (for sleeping)
  • Wellbutrin, 600mg per day (for depression)
  • Lamictal, 25mg (for bipolar disorder)
  • Strattera, 80mg (for ADHD)

Since transitioning to a plant-based diet, Adam has reversed type 2 diabetes, lost over 100 pounds, and now has incredible energy.

Now, Adam starts his day at 4:45 am with 3-4 servings of oatmeal and 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and he has snacks of fresh fruit and berries [7:57]. For lunch he has a salad loaded with leafy greens and everything from beans to fruits [8:28]. Afternoon snacks are hummus with carrots or steamed greens such as broccoli [8:56]. Dinner is quinoa with black beans and a ton of chopped vegetables [9:06].

Adam came to understand the power of having supportive and knowledgeable individuals lead you through the transition to a plant-based approach. He uses his experiences and newfound energy to coach others discovering the power of a holistic approach to life and plant-based nutrition [11:32].

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About the author 

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes.

He is the co-founder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green, and is an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness coach who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002. He co-created the Mastering Diabetes Method to reverse insulin resistance in all forms of diabetes, and has helped more than 10,000 people improve their metabolic health using low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition, intermittent fasting, and exercise.

Cyrus earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003, then earned a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 2012. He is the co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications.

He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, a featured speaker at the Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference (PBNHC), the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Conference (ACLM), Plant Stock, the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and has been featured on The Doctors, NPR, KQED, Forks Over Knives, Healthline, Fast Company, Diet Fiction, and the wildly popular podcasts the Rich Roll Podcast, Plant Proof, MindBodyGreen, and Nutrition Rounds.

Scientific Publications:

Sarver, Jordan, Cyrus Khambatta, Robby Barbaro, Bhakti Chavan, and David Drozek. “Retrospective Evaluation of an Online Diabetes Health Coaching Program: A Pilot Study.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, October 15, 2019, 1559827619879106. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619879106

Shrivastav, Maneesh, William Gibson, Rajendra Shrivastav, Katie Elzea, Cyrus Khambatta, Rohan Sonawane, Joseph A. Sierra, and Robert Vigersky. “Type 2 Diabetes Management in Primary Care: The Role of Retrospective, Professional Continuous Glucose Monitoring.” Diabetes Spectrum: A Publication of the American Diabetes Association 31, no. 3 (August 2018): 279–87. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0024

Thompson, Airlia C. S., Matthew D. Bruss, John C. Price, Cyrus F. Khambatta, William E. Holmes, Marc Colangelo, Marcy Dalidd, et al. “Reduced in Vivo Hepatic Proteome Replacement Rates but Not Cell Proliferation Rates Predict Maximum Lifespan Extension in Mice.” Aging Cell 15, no. 1 (February 2016): 118–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12414

Roohk, Donald J., Smita Mascharak, Cyrus Khambatta, Ho Leung, Marc Hellerstein, and Charles Harris. “Dexamethasone-Mediated Changes in Adipose Triacylglycerol Metabolism Are Exaggerated, Not Diminished, in the Absence of a Functional GR Dimerization Domain.” Endocrinology 154, no. 4 (April 2013): 1528–39. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2011-1047



Price, John C., Cyrus F. Khambatta, Kelvin W. Li, Matthew D. Bruss, Mahalakshmi Shankaran, Marcy Dalidd, Nicholas A. Floreani, et al. “The Effect of Long Term Calorie Restriction on in Vivo Hepatic Proteostatis: A Novel Combination of Dynamic and Quantitative Proteomics.” Molecular & Cellular Proteomics: MCP 11, no. 12 (December 2012): 1801–14.
https://doi.org/10.1074/mcp.M112.021204





Bruss, Matthew D., Airlia C. S. Thompson, Ishita Aggarwal, Cyrus F. Khambatta, and Marc K. Hellerstein. “The Effects of Physiological Adaptations to Calorie Restriction on Global Cell Proliferation Rates.” American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism 300, no. 4 (April 2011): E735-745. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00661.2010




Bruss, Matthew D., Cyrus F. Khambatta, Maxwell A. Ruby, Ishita Aggarwal, and Marc K. Hellerstein. “Calorie Restriction Increases Fatty Acid Synthesis and Whole Body Fat Oxidation Rates.” American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism 298, no. 1 (January 2010): E108-116.
https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00524.2009