Remission possible in people with type 2 diabetes without intensive lifestyle interventions
People who achieve weight loss of 10% or more in the first five years following diagnosis with type 2 diabetes have the greatest chance of seeing their disease go into remission, according to a new study led by the University of Cambridge.
The findings suggest that it is possible to recover from the disease without intensive lifestyle interventions or extreme calorie restrictions.
Type 2 diabetes affects 400 million people worldwide and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputations. While the disease can be managed through a combination of positive lifestyle changes and medication, it is also possible for the high blood glucose levels that define diabetes to return to normal – through significant calorie restriction and weight loss. An intensive low-calorie diet involving a total daily intake of 700 calories for 8 weeks has been associated with remission in almost nine out of ten people with recently diagnosed diabetes and half of people with longstanding disease.
People who achieved weight loss of 10% or more within the first five years after diagnosis were more than twice as likely to go into remission compared to people who maintained the same weight
This study analyzed, whether less intensive interventions, could help people to get rid of type 2 diabetes. Researchers studied data from the ADDITION-Cambridge trial, a study of 867 people with newly diagnosed diabetes aged 40 and 69 years recruited from general practices in the eastern region of U.K.
The researchers found that 257 participants (30%) participants were in remission at five-year follow-up. People who achieved weight loss of 10% or more within the first five years after diagnosis were more than twice as likely to go into remission compared to people who maintained the same weight.
“Our results suggest that it may be possible to get rid of diabetes, for at least five years, with a more modest weight loss of 10%. This will be more motivating and hence more achievable for many people,” said Dr Hajira Dambha-Miller from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care.
Senior author Professor Simon Griffin of the MRC Epidemiology Unit added: “This reinforces the importance of managing one’s weight, which can be achieved through changes in diet and increasing physical activity. Type 2 diabetes, while a chronic disease, can lead to significant complications, but as our study shows, can be controlled and even reversed.”
