Study Low calorie diet can often cure type 2 diabetes

Doctors are studying the effects of a low-calorie diet on diabetes

Researchers have now found that if people with type 2 diabetes make a radical low-calorie diet, it can lead to a reversal of the disease, even if they have been in type 2 diabetes for six years.

Researchers at Newcastle University and Glasgow University found in their study that it's possible for sufferers to reverse their disease with type 2 diabetes when they eat a low-calorie diet. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The Lancet".

Physicians found that many people with type 2 diabetes can reverse their disease by taking a low-calorie diet and losing weight. (Image: Kurhan / fotolia.com)

Belly fat can cause life-threatening complications

More and more people are suffering from type 2 diabetes. This is related to a progressing obesity epidemic, say the physicians. Accumulated fat in the abdomen prevents the proper function of the pancreas. This can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications such as blindness, foot amputations, heart disease and kidney disease.

Weight loss resulted in remission of type 2 diabetes in nine out of ten patients

According to the experts, if people with type 2 diabetes lose weight, this can be reversed. They no longer need to take any medicines and are free from the symptoms and risks of type 2 diabetes. Nine out of ten subjects who lost a total of 15 kg in weight or more experienced a remission of their type 2 diabetes, say the authors. This shows the important relationship between diabetes and obesity, which has also been revealed in other studies.

Results could revolutionize the treatment of type 2 diabetes

The results of the current study are very promising. They could revolutionize the treatment of type 2 diabetes, said Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University. Substantial weight loss results in reduced liver and pancreas fat, which can restore these organs to their normal function. With a suitable diet many people with diabetes could be helped.

Losing weight can lead to a permanent remission

Losing weight is not only associated with a better treatment for type 2 diabetes, a significant weight loss can actually lead to a permanent remission, the experts explain. Globally, the number of people with type 2 diabetes has quadrupled in 35 years from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. By 2040, even an increase to 642 million is expected. In the United Kingdom, nearly one in ten adults have type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes remission by calorie reduction is rarely discussed

Instead of addressing the root cause, the guidelines for treating type 2 diabetes focus on lowering blood sugar levels through drug therapy. Although diet and lifestyle are also addressed, a calorie reduction diabetes remission is rarely discussed, says Professor Taylor.

Bariatric surgery is more expensive and risky

An essential difference to other studies is that we have recommended a diet for weight loss with no increase in physical activity, the physicians explain. For a long-term observation but also an increased daily activity is important. Also, the so-called bariatric surgery (gastric reduction, etc.) can achieve a remission of diabetes in about three-quarters of people, but such treatment is more expensive and risky and is available only to a small number of patients available.

298 subjects participated in the study

For their study, the researchers studied 298 adults, ages 20 to 65, who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the past six years. Half of the patients began with a very low-calorie diet, the remaining participants served as a control group. The subjects with a low-calorie diet had lost an average of 10 kg after one year. Nearly half of these subjects were able to reverse their diabetic state. By contrast, only four percent of people in the control group could achieve remission.

Subjects consumed only 825 to 853 calories per day

Participants consumed between 825 and 853 calories for a period of three to five months a day, accompanied by experts and encouraged to exercise. In addition, a cognitive behavioral therapy was performed. Even if you have been suffering from type 2 diabetes for six years, remission of the disease is still possible, says Prof. Michael Lean of Glasgow University. Unlike other approaches, researchers focused on the need to maintain weight loss through diet and exercise in the long term.

Weight loss goals can be achieved for many people

Very large weight loss caused by bariatric surgery is not necessary to reverse the disease, the researchers report. The weight loss goals have been achieved by the new program for many people. The big challenge is more the long-term prevention of weight gain, explain the authors. (As)