Most diabetics can reverse the condition if they lose at least 6.35kg, research suggests.
A landmark study has found that Type 2 diabetes can be put in remission for at least two years following a three-month diet of soups and shakes.
Researchers said the findings were “incredibly exciting” and could mean the end of the disease as a lifelong condition. Previous studies have shown, that in the short-term, the disease can be reversed by sticking to a very low-calorie diet.
The new study tracked participants long after the diet finished, and found that two-thirds of those who lost at least 10kg remained in remission.
Scientists believe the strict diet is effective at shifting fat surrounding the pancreas, helping the recovery of its function of producing insulin.
But they warned that keeping the weight off was crucial to holding Type 2 diabetes at bay. Overall, just over one in three of those who tried the regime were free of the disease two years after starting the diet.
Researchers from Newcastle and Glasgow Universities have been testing the diet of around 800 calories a day on almost 300 patients with diabetes.
Health officials are so excited by the early findings from the trials that about 5,000 NHS patients are now being recruited for a national study.
The new findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes; Endocrinology, show that after one year, 46% of those put on the diet were in remission. Twelve months later, 70% of these cases remained in remission.
The patients, aged between 20 and 65, had struggled with their condition for up to six years – using drugs to control blood sugar levels. Two years later, 36% of those who had been on the diet remained in remission.
The best results were seen among those who lost the most weight.
In total, 64% of those who lost at least 10kg remained in remission after two years.
The study found that participants regained some weight, as expected, between the first and second year.
However, those who stayed in remission had a greater average weight loss – of around 15.4kg — compared with those who did not, whose average loss was 11.7kg.
The results of the DiRECT trial, funded by Diabetes UK, were announced at Diabetes UK’s Professional Conference in Liverpool.
“These results are a significant development, and finally pull down the curtain on the era of Type 2 diabetes as an inevitably progressive disease,” Newcastle University’s Prof Roy Taylor said.
“We now understand the biological nature of this reversible condition.“ However, everyone in remission needs to know that evidence to date tells us that your Type 2 diabetes will return if you regain weight.” –The Daily Telegraph