text_1: Reverse your diabetes -- and you can stay diabetes-free long-term
text_2: This release from Newcastle University describes a very small study that sought to control type 2 diabetes in patients through a reduced-calorie diet and a weight-management program. The results showed that 12 of the 30 participants saw a resumption of normal insulin production that continued for six months, supporting the release’s claim of “reversing” the disease. But what about the other 18 patients? A study this small can hardly suggest its finding are applicable to all type 2 diabetes patients which, in effect, it does. And benefits observed after only 6 months may not be maintained over the longer term. The release also omitted discussion of harms and alternatives, and didn’t give us a good picture of how the study was conducted. Rates of Type 2 diabetes have increased markedly in parallel with rates of obesity, especially in developed countries. It has long been recognized that diet, weight loss and exercise can improve the control of diabetes. Large studies investigating the impact of weight loss surgery have demonstrated that blood sugar results can return to normal after significant weight loss. It has also been shown that individuals who regain weight after surgery can then have blood sugars go up again and need to resume medications for diabetes. Patients and their families may excitedly assume that the approach described in this release is right for them and alter their normal regimen in the treatment of their disease. But adhering to the diet discussed in this release will be very difficult for most people and is not without risks. And despite the release’s suggestion of universal benefit, a “reversal” of diabetes did not occur in the majority of patients. Patients should understand that context when weighing whether to embark on such a diet.