According to researchers from the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (direct) “between 1980 and 2014, the number of people living with diabetes across the world increased from about 108 million to 422 million.” of these hundreds of millions of people living with diabetes, about 90% of them have Type II Diabetes. As the numbers are increasing, many are asking the question of whether or not diabetes can be reversed or not and how. And this is where science is telling us there is hope for those who have Type II Diabetes.
The Science Of Diabetes
There have been several studies regarding diet and how to reverse diabetes. The biggest in recent years was the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (direct). During the direct trial, participants were asked to have MRI scans while engaging in a low-calorie or calorie-restrictive diet over the course of 12 to 24 months. The first results of the trial show that intensive weight loss programs could help those with Type II Diabetes to achieve remission without taking any medication. Furthermore, following a severe caloric restriction, eating around 850 calories per day, led to 46% of the participants showing signs of remission at the one-year mark.
A significant part of the direct trial was looking at the Twin Cycle Hypothesis, which proposes that Type II Diabetes develops from an accumulation of fat in the liver, which causes insulin resistance and increases blood sugar production. This in turn leads to an increase in plasma insulin levels, resulting in a self-reinforcing cycle in which insulin stimulates fat production. As the liver fat causes lipids to spill over, they end up in other tissue, including the pancreas where there are beta-cells responsible for creating and regulating insulin.
It was found during the direct trial that participants could maintain remission over the two years if the liver triglycerides and fat in the pancreas remained low. Additionally, almost 9 out of 10 participants who lost at least 15 kilos were able to reverse their diabetes. However, it’s worth noting that a small group did experience relapse. Thanks in part to the ground broken by the direct trial, the U.K.’s National Health Service plans to roll out a program which will test weight loss therapy in thousands of people who live with Type II Diabetes, which will give us far more data to analyze.
Virta Health did another significant trial. Subjects of the trial were asked to follow a very low-carb diet and received remote monitoring by physicians and health coaches. Researchers found that after one year, 94% of those in the low-carb group had reduced or stopped their insulin usage and 25% had an HgbA1c that fell in the normal range without needing additional medications, suggesting remission. At the two-year mark of this study, a high number of subjects also continued to show sustained improvements in their glycemic control.
Finally, a 2019 study by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) found in their own research that reducing carb intake was the most effective nutritional strategy for improving blood sugar control when it comes to diabetes. This confirms the idea that diet can help to control, regulate, and even reverse diabetes.
Diet And Diabetes
A study out of England found that nearly half of their participants kept blood glucose near normal for six months to a year with a diet. And this isn’t the only research showing the efficacy of diet in controlling diabetes. Particularly when it comes to low-carb diets, research is becoming increasingly consistent about the results: low-carb and calorie-restrictive diets are proving to be effective treatments.
To understand what happens, we have to learn what cells are doing in Type II Diabetes. In the progression of Type II Diabetes, cells that help your body control blood sugar stop working correctly. It was once thought that once these cells turned off or stopped working properly, they were permanently gone. But this new research is showing that these cells could be reactivated through weight loss and diet. More and more studies are showing that those who lost more weight had lower levels of fat in the liver and pancreas and had their beta-cells start working again. Though this is encouraging, research is showing that diet is most effective earlier on.
Those who truly appeared to have reversed their Type II Diabetes lost at least 30 pounds. These people also hadn’t had diabetes for very long. This proves the importance of a weight loss plan as soon as you are diagnosed with diabetes. Not only will this help manage your diabetes, but it can also help you feel better and have more energy.
Takeaways
Type II Diabetes can be a devastating disease for some. For anyone, it’s a stressful diagnosis. But the leading research is showing that there is hope. By adopting a low-calorie or low-carb diet, you stand a chance at reversing your diabetes. The key thing is to work with your doctor and nutritional professionals to make sure that you lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. By doing so, you can change the course of your health in the long-term.
