People with diabetes can stop insulin and diabetes medication by following the Tayebat system ('zero medicine'), as shown by followers who stopped insulin and are 'perfectly fine'.

Original statement

ساره السيد بيقوللك بطل الانسولين الحمد لله زي الفل

verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

People with diabetes can stop insulin and diabetes medication by following the Tayebat system ('zero medicine'), as shown by followers who stopped insulin and are 'perfectly fine'.

Origin

Source status

Video transcript (own words)

Attribution

Elawady (machine transcript)

Video

Dr Diaa Al Awady د ضياء العوضي is live! الكورتيزون حياتك (Open source)

Published

17 October 2025

Timestamp

1:58:13 (location in the original video’s automatic YouTube caption track; confirms where the words occur, not who speaks)

Attribution uncertainty

Archive transcript (YouTube CC or AI-generated); no timestamps; 'published' is the date listed by the archive and may be the upload date. The primary quote is a viewer's message ('Sarah El-Sayed tells you ...') that Elawady reads aloud and comments on approvingly during a live stream; it is not his own statement. His own statements are in the alternative sources, e.g. PBygUgVhUM8 ('I am the one who stopped it for him') and aEbRfVSJIOw ('zero medicine').

Claimed mechanism

Removing harmful food inputs restores the body, making insulin unnecessary.

Claimed health effect

Stopping insulin is safe/curative

Population concerned

People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Geographic restriction by Elawady

none found

Diverging source versions

Scientific assessment

False – The statement contradicts the robust evidence.

Certainty of evidence: high – Further research is very unlikely to change the assessment.

1. What was claimed?

Following the system allows people to stop insulin; testimonies show success; the method is 'zero medicine'.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

In type 2 diabetes of short duration, intensive weight loss can lead to remission off all glucose-lowering drugs in a substantial minority (46% at 1 year in DiRECT; participants on insulin were excluded) (I-FAST-12). Insulin doses in type 2 diabetes can often be reduced when weight falls or when metformin is added (A-INS-19). Elawady also says that people who stop insulin are responsible for themselves, which is a disclaimer, not a safety instruction.

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

Individual success stories told during live streams cannot show safety or efficacy; people who were harmed are not presented. People with type 1 diabetes or advanced insulin-deficient type 2 diabetes cannot stop insulin (I-ODD-16, I-INS-07). A 'zero medicine' rule contradicts the evidence that metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce death and organ damage in defined groups (I-ODD-01 to I-ODD-07).

4. What remains unclear?

How many followers stopped insulin and what happened to them is unknown; no registry or study exists.

5. Which studies support it?

I-FAST-12 (diet-induced remission in early, non-insulin type 2 diabetes; limited relevance).

6. Which studies contradict it?

I-INS-07, I-INS-08, I-ODD-16, I-INS-03.

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

European (EASD) and German (DDG) guidance follow the same evidence base as the ADA/EASD consensus: individualised HbA1c targets, insulin as mandatory therapy in type 1 diabetes, and SGLT2 inhibitors/GLP-1 receptor agonists for people with cardiovascular or kidney disease. No country-specific difference changes the assessment.

8. What is known about Egypt?

Egypt has one of the highest diabetes prevalences in the region; the same drug classes and insulins are used. Access barriers and cost may make advice to stop medication attractive, which increases the practical risk of this claim. No Egypt-specific evidence changes the assessment.

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

Reducing diabetes medication is possible for some people with type 2 diabetes, but only step by step with glucose monitoring and medical supervision. Insulin must never be stopped by people with type 1 diabetes.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

Anecdotes read out in live streams are not evidence; no outcome data on the system exist. In type 1 diabetes stopping insulin is reliably fatal without treatment. In type 2 diabetes, some people can reduce or stop medication after substantial weight loss under supervision (DiRECT, which excluded insulin users), so the claim is false as a general statement and dangerous for insulin-deficient people.

Source quality

Own words; testimonies are second-hand and unverifiable. Elawady also states that whoever stops insulin is responsible for himself.

Regional transferability

Universal.

Individual exceptions

Some people with early type 2 diabetes and weight loss can come off medication under medical supervision (see C-DIAB-03).

Regional scope of the claim

general (biological/medical)

Last reviewed

25 October 2026 provisional

In plain language

The videos present people who say they stopped insulin and feel well. Such stories cannot tell us how many others became ill. People with type 1 diabetes die without insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes can reduce or stop medicines after losing a lot of weight, but this must be done with a doctor and regular blood sugar checks.

Studies on this claim

Regional context

Germany / EU

European (EASD) and German (DDG) guidance follow the same evidence base as the ADA/EASD consensus: individualised HbA1c targets, insulin as mandatory therapy in type 1 diabetes, and SGLT2 inhibitors/GLP-1 receptor agonists for people with cardiovascular or kidney disease. No country-specific difference changes the assessment.

Egypt

Egypt has one of the highest diabetes prevalences in the region; the same drug classes and insulins are used. Access barriers and cost may make advice to stop medication attractive, which increases the practical risk of this claim. No Egypt-specific evidence changes the assessment.

• Food-safety governance and official controls
• Import controls and the meaning of RASFF notifications for Egyptian products

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

False Stopping insulin on one's own is dangerous; any reduction belongs under medical supervision.

This statement concerns biological or medical relationships. The scientific assessment above applies regardless of the country; country-specific food data do not change it.

References

1. Primary care-led weight management for remission of type 2 diabetes (DiRECT): an open-label, cluster-randomised trial.. Lean ME et al.. Lancet 2018 · PMID 29221645 · DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33102-1
2. Hyperglycemic Crises in Adults With Diabetes: A Consensus Report.. Umpierrez GE et al.. Diabetes Care 2024 · PMID 39052901 · DOI 10.2337/dci24-0032
3. Diabetic ketoacidosis.. Dhatariya KK et al.. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2020 · PMID 32409703 · DOI 10.1038/s41572-020-0165-1
4. 9. Pharmacologic Approaches to Glycemic Treatment: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2026.. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes*. Diabetes Care 2026 · PMID 41358900 · DOI 10.2337/dc26-S009
5. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.. Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group; Nathan DM et al.. N Engl J Med 1993 · PMID 8366922 · DOI 10.1056/NEJM199309303291401
6. Combination of insulin and metformin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.. Wulffelé MG et al.. Diabetes Care 2002 · PMID 12453950 · DOI 10.2337/diacare.25.12.2133