Millions of people in the U.S. suffer with type 2 diabetes. Although genetics plays a role, many get the disease from being overweight and being too sedentary.
Research findings, recently reported in The Lancet, suggest that remission of type 2 diabetes may be obtained with intensive weight management programs and routine primary care. After 12 months of radical weight management, participants lost an average of 10 kilograms (22 pounds), and half of them went back to being non-diabetic without medication.
During the first 3–5 months, the participants on weight management consumed a total diet replacement formula that gave them no more than 855 calories per day. After that, they gradually introduced normal food over 2–8 weeks.
Positive outcome was defined as glycated hemoglobin of less than 6.5% after at least 2 months and needing no anti-diabetic medications from baseline to 12 months.
Throughout the program, study subjects received support for maintaining weight loss with advice on how to be more physically active.
The trial’s co-leader Prof. Michael Lean, chair of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow in the U.K. said “Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for 6 years, putting the disease into remission is feasible.”
Note: If you have diabetes, seek your physician’s guidance before starting a low calorie regimen such as described in this study.
Reference
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P…
