Can you put DIABETES INTO REMISSION?

When you were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you probably thought it was for good. But could there be an alternative? DL mag dietitian and diabetes educator, Dr Kate Marsh, explores the research on putting diabetes into remission.

- Dr Kate Marsh

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have been told it is a progressive condition and that over time you will probably need more and more medication to help manage your blood glucose levels. And while this is the case for many people, research has shown that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, with significant lifestyle changes and weight loss, reversal of type 2 diabetes is possible for many people.

The DiRECT study In 2017, results of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) were published, showing that diabetes remission is possible. The researchers studied more than 300 people with type 2 diabetes, diagnosed within the last 6 years and attending general practices in Scotland and England. They were aged between 20 and 65 years and were carrying excess weight. Half of the participants were placed in an intervention group following an intensive weight management program while the remaining study participants acted as a control group, receiving care according to current best practice diabetes guidelines.

The intervention included a very low-energy diet based on meal replacements for three to five months followed by a gradual reintroduction of normal foods over two to eight weeks and structured support to help them maintain their weight loss in the long term. These participants stopped all of their diabetes and blood pressure medications when they started the study.