Drugless Diabetes Remssion

The orthodoxy is that diabetes is an inevitably progressive disease. That is, once you are a Type-2 diabetic, you can manage the symptoms but the best you can hope for is that they do not get worse. This is good news if you are selling metformin or other drugs used in treating diabetes. It is also not true.

In March 2019, British researchers presented the results of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trail (DIRECT), a study of 300 patients aged 20 to 65 who had been diagnosed with diabetes. It is important to note that none were taking insulin when the study began, but were using a variety of other drugs to manage their symptoms.

Study participants were divided into two groups. One group (the control group) followed the standard treatment guidelines (eat better, get some exercise, take your medication and monitor your blood sugar levels). The second group was put on a structured, three part weight loss program that included:

1. A low calorie diet of nutrition shakes and soups providing 850 calories a day for 12 to 20 weeks. Note that this is a very low calorie diet and ought not to be attempted without the supervision of a doctor.

2. Then a gradual, supervised return to eating a DASH-style diet built around fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, healthy fats and lean meats, poultry and fish over an additional 6 to 8 weeks.

3. Finally, individual monthly monitoring and counseling to ensure that the lost weight was not regained, including an "intervention plan" option of going back on the 850 calorie diet if they regained more than a couple of pounds. (Talk about motivation!)

No drug therapy was used by the second group.

The results? After 2 years, 3% of those in the control group and 36% of those in the second group had blood sugar levels below the diabetic range. The more weight a person lost, the greater the improvement. Weight loss was the key. For those who lost 20+ pounds, 64% no longer showed symptoms of diabetes. For those who lost 10 - 20 pounds or less than 10 pounds, the corresponding numbers were 29% and 5%.

The key factor here is weight loss, not the diet that achieved it. If you suffer from Type-2 diabetes, find a way to drop some weight. The more, the better. But any weight loss will help. If you need the structure or support of a program or other people then get it. It is not true that you inevitably face a lifetime of drug use.