Low-calorie diet and exercise led to remission of type 2 diabetes in more than half of young patients

Eating a low-calorie diet and regular exercise helped more than half of the study participants with type 2 diabetes achieve remission without glucose-lowering medications. The study results were presented at the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

The study involved 96 people aged 18 to 45 years with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes. Half of the participants received standard treatment, and the rest followed a diet of 800–900 kilocalories per day for the first 12 weeks. At the same time, they trained twice a week under the supervision of specialists and once again on their own. The program included strength and aerobic exercise.

After 24 weeks, 54 percent of participants in the main group achieved remission. Among those receiving standard treatment, this figure was only 4 percent. Scientists considered remission to be a condition in which the level of glycated hemoglobin fell below the diagnostic threshold for diabetes and remained so without glucose-lowering drugs for at least 12 weeks.

Participants in the main group lost an average of 8.4 kilograms during the study versus 1.2 kilograms in the control group. At the same time, training helped maintain muscle mass while losing weight.

The results suggest that intensive changes in diet and physical activity can help bring about remission of type 2 diabetes that develops at a young age, the researchers said. However, it is not yet known how long this effect lasts.