10% Weight Loss Could Send Type 2 Diabetes Into Remission

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition characterized by the body’s inability to sufficiently process glucose (sugar). As a result, blood sugar levels are persistently high.

This condition affects over 30 million people in the United States and, if unchecked, it can lead to various complications, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, and vision problems.

Usually, doctors prescribe medication and suggest dietary interventions to help individuals keep the symptoms of type 2 diabetes under control.

Yet remission — referring to a drastic decrease or even disappearance of symptoms, allowing people to cease treatment — is possible under certain conditions.

Individuals with both obesity and type 2 diabetes, for instance, can experience remission of diabetes following bariatric (weight loss) surgery.

Previously, in 2016, a different study showed that people with diabetes who followed an intensive low calorie diet — amounting to an intake of 624–700 kilocalories per day for a period of 8 weeks — could also experience remission.

But is it possible to send type 2 diabetes into remission through a less demanding dietary intervention? That is the question that sparked the interest of a team of specialists from the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.

‘Modest’ weight loss may be enough

In a new study — the findings of which appear in the journal Diabetic Medicine — the researchers from Cambridge analyzed data from 867 people aged 40–69 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

All of these individuals had enrolled in the ADDITION-Cambridge trial, a prospective study that assesses, among other factors, the effectiveness and helpfulness of diabetes screening.

Researchers followed the participants’ progress for a period of 5 years. By looking at the cohort’s medical data, the Cambridge team found that 257 individuals, or 30% of the participants, had diabetes in remission by the end of the 5-year period.

The point of interest? Participants who had achieved at least 10% weight loss within 5 years of type 2 diabetes diagnosis were more than twice as likely to experience remission at the 5-year follow-up, compared with individuals who had not lost any weight.

“We’ve known for some time now that it’s possible to send diabetes into remission using fairly drastic measures, such as intensive weight loss programs and extreme calorie restriction,” notes first author Hajira Dambha-Miller, Ph.D.

“But, our results suggest that it may be possible to get rid of diabetes, for at least 5 years, with a more modest weight loss of 10%. This will be more motivating and hence more achievable for many people.” – Hajira Dambha-Miller, Ph.D.