Exercise And Diet Can Completely Cure Type 2 Diabetes

Exercise and diet can completely cure type 2 diabetes

In the new study, remission occurred in two thirds of patients. Intensive lifestyle intervention can be a critical treatment option.

Photo: Jenny Hill / Unsplash

A new study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, shows that diet and exercise are tremendously effective in treating type 2 diabetes. Under their influence, complete remission was observed in two thirds of patients.

Almost everyone knows that physical activity, a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can help fight diabetes. But less common is the idea that such lifestyle changes can completely cure the disease. In recent years, more and more research has been devoted to this issue.

In the new study, scientists have provided the most compelling evidence to date for the effectiveness of lifestyle changes in diabetes management. It was attended by 150 people who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes not earlier than three years ago. Their average age was 42.

Study participants were divided into two groups: one received standard treatment and the other followed an intensive lifestyle change program. It consisted of 12 weeks of an intense low calorie diet (Cambridge Weight Management Plan) followed by a regular low calorie diet. The participants in the second group performed at least 150 minutes of exercise per week and had to walk at least 10 thousand steps per day.

After 12 months, participants in the lifestyle change group lost an average of 12 kilograms of weight (compared to 4 kilograms in the other group). But the most surprising result was that in 61% of them diabetes went into complete remission. In the standard treatment group, remission occurred in 12% of people.

In a press release, Shahrad Taheri, a professor at Weil Cornell College of Medicine in Qatar, said the findings should change the way people treat type 2 diabetes. “They show that if you lose weight early enough, you can actually reverse the disease and thereby prevent other health problems and worsening quality of life,” he said.