Reversing Diabetes: What Works | Reverse Diabetes MD

Reversing Diabetes; What Does and Doesn’t Work

March 05, 2020

Yes, type 2 diabetes can be reversed. Reversal means normal blood sugar for a number of years without any diabetes medication. You get there by restoring insulin sensitivity. Weight loss is one of the most effective routes. A very low-calorie diet, exercise, bariatric surgery and intermittent fasting all work. Magic pills, herbs and supplements do not.

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About 30 million people in the US have diabetes. About 8 million of them don’t know they have it. Finding diabetes early can help in its treatment, and possibly its reversal. But what is diabetes reversal?

Diabetes reversal is like long-term diabetes remission. It is not a definite cure. It means a person with type 2 diabetes can keep normal blood sugar for a number of years. They do it without taking any diabetes medication. A number of factors can get you there, and we discuss them below. First, let’s shed some light on type 2 diabetes.

How does type 2 diabetes reversal work?

Type two diabetes used to be a disease of old people. But with our modern lifestyle, even young children now get this debilitating disease. Genes and ethnic background play a role in who gets type two diabetes. But diet and lifestyle are great contributors as well. By controlling diet and lifestyle, a person prone to the disease can avoid it in some cases.

Type 2 diabetes occurs due to a slow build-up of insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that moves sugar out of the blood and stores it in cells. Over time, a person responds less to insulin, and that leads to a buildup of sugar in the blood. The beta cells (the cells that make insulin) are pushed to make more and more insulin. In the end they are exhausted and used up.

Reversing type 2 diabetes aims to restore insulin sensitivity. In some cases it also aims to regrow beta cells. So a person with reversed diabetes should keep normal blood sugar without diabetes drugs. Research has shown that weight loss is one of the most effective ways to reverse diabetes.

Here are four ways to achieve healthy weight loss and diabetes reversal:

1. Very Low-Calorie Diet

Several studies have tested a very low-calorie diet in diabetes. In one study, two people followed a mostly liquid diet of 625-850 calories a day for 2-5 months. Then they moved to a less strict diet. It was built to help them keep off the weight they lost. The results showed that a low-calorie diet helps reduce weight and improve insulin sensitivity. In another study, seven obese patients with type 2 diabetes went on a very low-calorie diet. It had 900kcal and 115g of protein. Their blood sugar control showed significant improvement. This was mainly credited to a better response to insulin.

Note that these diets are extreme. You have to work with a professional. That person will judge whether you are fit for such a drastic plan. Most people who succeed in reversing diabetes this way have not had diabetes for long. That makes it important to start losing weight as soon as possible after you’re diagnosed.

2. Exercise

Regular exercise is another way to improve diabetes. But to reverse it, you have to pair exercise with diet and other steps. Exercise takes commitment and dedication to bear fruit.

Regular exercise is associated with a lower need for insulin. It is also associated with a better response to insulin. A 2015 study showed that 67% of participants reached partial remission. They followed a 6-month diet and exercise plan. All of them were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

3. Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery helps one lose weight by cutting how much food one eats. Over the long run, this has helped type 2 diabetes patients reach reversal.

A 2010 study showed that bariatric surgery can help reverse diabetes. Another 2013 study reported that 24% of participants with type 2 diabetes reached remission six years after gastric bypass surgery. The study concluded that:

“Bariatric surgery can induce a significant and sustainable remission and improvement of T2DM and other metabolic risk factors in severely obese patients. Surgical intervention within 5 years of diagnosis is associated with a high rate of long-term remission.”

Bariatric surgery is suitable only when your BMI is 35 or higher. It works best for people who’ve had diabetes for less than 5 years and who are not on insulin.

Are you obese and newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? Then this can be a good option to help you reverse it.

4. Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting means going a set amount of time without any food or drink that has calories. For example, you can limit your eating to eight hours each day and fast for the other sixteen hours. Caution: you need to consult with your doctor before you start a fast, even if it’s partial and for medical reasons.

A small study looked at three men between the ages of 40 and 67. They tried intermittent fasting for about 10 months. All were able to stop insulin treatment within a month of the study period. Jason Fung, the study’s author, said this study showed that intermittent fasting could be effective in reversing type 2 diabetes.

However, this result can only be used as anecdotal. Larger clinical trials are needed to show clearly how well this approach works.

What doesn’t work to reverse diabetes?

There is a lot of hype around diabetes reversal. Shrewd businessmen have tried to exploit vulnerable patients. They sell magic pills that they claim cure diabetes. These come in all kinds of forms, such as:

Over-the-counter pills
Herbs
Supplements
Alternative medicines
Homeopathic products
Prescription drugs

Do you or a loved one have type 2 diabetes? Then consult with your healthcare provider before you start any diabetes reversal program. Diabetes reversal can be done. But watch out for greedy scammers out to make a dishonest buck.

Frequently asked questions

Can diabetes ever go back to normal?

Type 2 diabetes can. Reversal means a person with type 2 diabetes keeps normal blood sugar for a number of years without taking any diabetes medication. It works by restoring insulin sensitivity, and in some cases by regrowing beta cells. It is closer to long-term remission than a definite cure. Weight loss is one of the most effective ways to get there.

Who is most likely to reverse type 2 diabetes?

People who act early. Most people who reverse diabetes with a very low-calorie diet have not had it for long. So the weight-loss work should start as soon as possible after diagnosis. Bariatric surgery works best for people who have had diabetes for less than five years and are not on insulin. It is suitable only with a BMI of 35 or higher.

Do pills or supplements that claim to cure diabetes work?

No. Over-the-counter pills, herbs, supplements, alternative medicines, homeopathic products and prescription drugs sold as a diabetes cure do not reverse type 2 diabetes. What works is weight loss and restored insulin sensitivity. The routes are a very low-calorie diet, regular exercise, bariatric surgery or intermittent fasting. Talk with your doctor before you start any reversal program, especially a fast.

References

Healthline: Type 2 Diabetes Statistics and Facts. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/statistics#1
NCBI (2019): Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: A Narrative Review of the Evidence. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520897/
NCBI (1998): Early and long-term effects of acute caloric deprivation in obese diabetic patients. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3291612
Diabetes UK: Reversing Type 2 Diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.diabetes.co.uk/reversing-diabetes.html
NCBI (2013): Can diabetes be surgically cured? Long-term metabolic effects of bariatric surgery in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24018646