Article content

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed in just four months by cutting calories, exercising and keeping glucose under control, a trial has shown.

The trial involved creating a personalized exercise regime for each participant and reducing their calories by between 500 and 750 a day. Participants also met regularly with a nurse and dietician to track progress and continued to take medication and insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Type 2 diabetes can be cured in four months — if you cut calories and exercise, research shows Back to video

After just four months, 40 per cent of patients were able to stop taking their medication because their bodies had begun to produce adequate amounts of insulin again.

The researchers said the program worked because it gave the insulin-producing pancreas “a rest and decreases fat stores in the body, which in turn improves insulin production and effectiveness.”

Dr. Natalia McInnes, of McMaster University, Ontario, Canada, said: “The research might shift the paradigm of treating diabetes from simply controlling glucose to an approach where we induce remission and then monitor patients for any signs of relapse.”