Once upon a time, many believed that if you had type 2 diabetes, you were stuck with it for life. However, a new study has brought some good news.
Researchers, led by Professor Edward Gregg from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin, Ireland, have found that losing a lot of weight through diet and lifestyle changes can not only reverse diabetes but also significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and kidney problems.
The study focused on people who took part in the Look AHEAD research. This research, which took place from 2001 to 2016, involved more than 5,000 adults who were quite overweight and had type 2 diabetes. They were split into two groups.
One group received intensive lifestyle coaching (ILI) for 12 years, focusing on how to eat healthily and exercise more. The other group just got some general advice about diabetes (DSE).
Professor Gregg and his team wanted to see what happened to these people in the long run, especially if they managed to reverse their diabetes by losing weight.
They looked at over 4,000 participants and checked who had diabetes remission, meaning their diabetes seemed to have gone away. They were particularly interested in how these people fared concerning heart diseases and kidney problems.
The people in the study were mostly women, around 59 years old on average, and had been living with diabetes for about six years. They were quite overweight, which is common in people with type 2 diabetes.
The researchers defined “remission” as not needing any diabetes medication and having normal blood sugar levels at a specific time.
They also looked at who developed serious kidney problems and heart diseases, like heart attacks or strokes. What they found was pretty amazing.
People who had any period of remission had a 33% lower chance of getting kidney disease and a 40% lower chance of heart disease. And the longer someone stayed in remission, the better their odds were.
The study revealed three key things. First, while 18% of participants managed to reverse their diabetes at some point, only 3% could keep it off for eight years, showing how hard it is to maintain weight loss.
Second, even short periods of remission made a big difference in reducing the risk of heart disease and kidney problems.
Lastly, people who were newly diagnosed with diabetes, had lower starting blood sugar levels, and lost a lot of weight were the most likely to reverse their diabetes.
In conclusion, the research showed a strong link between weight loss, diabetes remission, and lower risks of heart and kidney diseases. Although keeping weight off is challenging, any success in reversing diabetes can lead to significant health benefits later on.
This study is like a beacon of hope, showing that fighting diabetes is not only possible but also brings along other health perks.
Professor Gregg notes this as the first study to connect diabetes remission with fewer diabetes-related complications, a truly encouraging find for those battling type 2 diabetes.
If you care about weight, please read studies about diet that can treat fatty liver disease, obesity, and hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people.
For more information about weight, please see recent studies about how to curb your cravings for ready-to-eat foods, and results showing what you can eat to speed your metabolism up.
The research findings can be found in Diabetologia.
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