There’s not a week that goes by without a team of researchers thinking they’ve found a new way to treat type 2 diabetes.

“This drug could represent a new avenue for treating type 2 diabetes.”

Each time I see a line like this I can’t help but shake my head a little. Why? Because I know full well that the breakthrough towards treating type 2 diabetes has already been found.

A few years ago, getting type 2 diabetes under control whilst coming off all diabetes medication was perceived to be unthinkable. But within recent years, this has become a regular achievement. Now, each month people are being told by the doctors who first diagnosed them that their diabetes is now resolved. Their diabetes is back in control and as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they can happily say “so long” to their diabetes meds.

Seeking a holy grail

It’s frustrating seeing researchers searching for a holy grail: the drug that treats a condition without any side effects. To the best of my knowledge, no such drug for a metabolic condition has ever been created.

All drugs end up causing side effects. It doesn’t matter how excited the researchers or the drug companies get at first, it takes only a few years before the full extent of the side effects start coming out of the woodwork.

The magnificent thing about a healthy, low-carb diet is that, not only does it have none of the long-term side effects of drugs, it actually makes people better in all sorts of ways.

It doesn’t just help control blood sugar, it helps with weight loss, reduces depression, blood pressure, improves cholesterol and when maintained as a lifestyle for life, will almost certainly reduce risks of heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

So why are researchers so desperate to get people to take a pill instead? A pill that can never be expected to have the all-round benefits of a good, healthy lifestyle.

The trouble is with taking a pill is that it can give a false sense of security. Many people get lulled into thinking that once you take the medication, that’s you sorted.

Some of us do get drawn in too much by optimism. I’m taking my medication so that means I can more or less eat what I want. But medication is not a holy grail. It can help to keep a leash on an aspect of the condition but with metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes, there are many consequences beyond high blood sugar.

As a community, we’ve been duped over the last 30 to 40 years

Taking a pill won’t tackle all the knock-on effects of stress inside the body and inflammation that comes from the modern lifestyle of convenience and, sadly, of Frankenstein food (highly processed, often sugary food).

There’s no shame in developing type 2 diabetes. In addition to the risk factor of stress, many of us have grown up in an era where we were told and convinced time and time again that fat was to blamen, bombarded with advertising for sugary foods and having sugar sneaked into all sorts of foods we wouldn’t expect it to be in. As a community, we’ve been duped over the last 30 to 40 years.

Seeing the light

The good news is that type 2 diabetes can get better. Taking a pill will not do this. Taking a pill only helps to hold back some of the damage.

If we really want to push back diabetes then focusing on what we eat and getting some dedicated movement is the way forwards. In 2017, many people are starting to really steam forwards with this. They’re not just holding back type 2 diabetes; their diabetes is getting much better and their whole body is able to rejuvenate.

The last couple of years has seen a brand new hope for people with type 2 diabetes and the next stage is to tear down the bad influences in our society.

Sugar has been compared to cigarettes in its ability to wreak damage on the body. In fact, because sugar is so much more prevalent than cigarettes, it is a much bigger danger.

Fortunately, more and more researchers are starting to see the light as well. We are seeing more research dedicated towards lifestyle based treatment. Doctors are also listening to their patients more.

The British Medical Journal has also picked up on how effective lifestyle change is. In the article ‘Beating type 2 diabetes into remission’, the authors told of the difference doctors could make if they encourage and support their patients to achieve remission (controlling diabetes without the need for medication).

At diabetes.co.uk we’ve joined arms with a number of the world’s most forward-thinking doctors to help give as many people with type 2 diabetes the opportunity to take personal control of their health.

If you want to see what all the fuss is about and to take part in the breakthrough against type 2 diabetes, join our Low Carb Program which, we are very proud to say, has been a game-changer in improving thousands of people’s lives since it launched in 2015.

The program has received praise from doctors and the most important people of all; those of you with type 2 diabetes.

We are living in a bright time for type 2 diabetes and it is excellent to be able to say this.