Diet can reverse type 2 diabetes in six months

Type 2 diabetes isn’t a life sentence—it can be reversed in six months by following a healthy diet and exercising.

Researchers from McGill University in Canada tested the approach on a group of 96 young people aged between 18 and 45 who had been recently diagnosed with diabetes, but who weren’t using insulin to keep their blood sugar levels in check.

They either received standard care or were put on a calorie-restricted diet and exercise programme.  By the end of the six-month trial, 54 percent in the diet group had reversed their diabetes, while only 4 percent in the standard care group had done so.

The diet group followed an intensive program that combined a daily intake of 800 to 900 calories with supervised aerobic and resistance exercise twice a week, before they were switched to a diet designed to maintain their weight loss while continuing to exercise independently half-way through the course.

The researchers were looking for an improvement in the biological markers of diabetes, including an HbA1c level below 6.5%, equivalent to 48 mmol/mol, and must have taken no glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. HbA1c is a blood test that reflects average blood sugar levels over approximately three months.

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