Is Diabetes Remission Possible? How Using Nutrition Can Help You Manage

For those who have diabetes, keeping your illness managed can feel like a full-time job. Diabetes remission is often the goal but getting there can be challenging.

Fortunately, a recent study published in the Lancet Medical Journal suggests that following a rigorous diet may make diabetes remission possible. “Our findings suggest that even if you have had Type 2 diabetes for six years, putting the disease into remission is feasible,” Michael Lean, a professor from the University of Glasgow in Scotland who co-led the study, said in a statement.

So, how can you learn from this study? What are the possibilities of diabetes remission, and how can you better manage diabetes and risk?

Understanding Diabetes: The Differences Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body’s pancreas fails. Often, type 1 diabetes occurs in childhood and unfortunately, it’s not something you can prevent. There’s no cure for type 1 diabetes, but people with type 1 diabetes can live long and healthy lives through management. To manage diabetes, patients require regular insulin delivered by injection because their body no longer produces the blood sugar-regulating hormone on its own.

Fortunately, there have been many technological advances in diabetes care in recent years, enabling those with the illness to manage their blood sugar safely and easily. For example, monitors and pumps can offer steady supplies of insulin and can help people living with type 1 diabetes avoid the danger of blood sugar spikes and crashes. These tools can also help them avoid constantly injecting themselves, as a discrete pump delivers insulin.

Without monitoring, diabetes can turn deadly quickly. Insulin plays a vital role in the body’s ability to process food and turn it into energy. Without insulin, the body cannot use sugars properly, causing an increase in blood glucose levels (blood sugar levels), seriously damaging the kidneys and other organs. With too much insulin, the body can go into hypoglycemia. There is only a short time to intervene in this emergency before patients experience dire effects like long-term damage and even death.

For those with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong dependency on insulin injections (or administered via pump) is expected. It’s not possible to reverse type 1 diabetes or send it into remission. However, people with any type of diabetes can still manage their symptoms with medication and diet, allowing them to enjoy all that life offers.

Living with Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes often comes on later in life. Type 2 diabetes means that your body is no longer producing the right amount of insulin to match your metabolism. As a result, type 2 diabetics experience insulin resistance, causing the pancreas to make more insulin and eventually fail.

It’s important to note that while type 2 diabetes is often related to diet and lifestyle, it’s not always a direct correlation. Many people seem quite healthy and follow an active lifestyle but still have type 2 diabetes, especially later in life.

Diabetes symptoms often include extreme thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, increased appetite, yeast infections, an inability to heal (or heal very slowly), and sudden weight loss. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by other issues, so it’s hard to diagnose this illness before symptoms get severe. More than one in three people have prediabetes—meaning they have several risk factors for developing diabetes and other issues like heart disease and stroke.

More than 100 million American adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a report released earlier this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC defined prediabetes as a condition that, if not treated, often leads to Type 2 diabetes within five years. According to the CDC, approximately 90 to 95% of the more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

The risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

• Being overweight (particularly if your body stores fat in your abdomen).
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Heredity—including family history, race, and ethnicity
• Age—as you get older, you’re more likely to get diabetes

There are a few other risk factors, for example, if you’ve had gestational diabetes before during pregnancy or polycystic ovarian syndrome.

If you want to lower your risk for diabetes or hold your prediabetes in check, it’s essential to find ways to keep your blood sugar steady, manage your weight, and keep an active lifestyle. One of the things I’ve found that helps me keep my blood sugar levels stable is GC Control from Melaleuca. These shakes are delicious, natural, nutritionally sound, and they really help reduce cravings.

Understanding the Study About Diabetes Remission

In the study published in the Lancet Medical Journal, some people with Type 2 diabetes were able to put the disease in remission without medication by following a rigorous diet plan. Now, of course, if you have diabetes, it’s absolutely critical that you follow all instructions from your doctor. You should never try to reduce your insulin dependence on your own or without the guidance of medical professionals.

However, I found the study on diabetes remission very interesting and hopeful for those with type 2 diabetes, especially those with prediabetes. It shows how diet can play a significant role in keeping diabetes in check. Managing your diabetes with lifestyle, exercise, supplements, and nutrition can help you feel more in control of the situation and your health.

In the diabetes remission study, researchers looked at 149 participants who have had type 2 diabetes for up to six years. The participants were monitored closely as they followed a strict liquid diet that provided only 825 to 853 calories per day for three to five months. The participants were then reintroduced to solid food and maintained a structured diet until the end of the yearlong study.

Many of the dietary changes used in the diabetes remission study were similar to those suggested in the Sattvic diet, often described in the teachings of yoga. These diets are particularly low in meat, sugar, and artificial preservatives and high in fiber and vegetable consumption. Following this type of diet can be a healthy option for anyone, especially those looking for better health and weight management.

In the study, researchers found that almost half of the participants (68 total) put their diabetes in remission without the use of medication after one year—meaning they didn’t require insulin and other medicines to manage their diabetes. In addition, study participants also lost an average of more than 20 pounds during their participation in the program. However, it’s important to note that thirty-two of the 149 participants in the study dropped out of the program, and the sample size was relatively small. Nevertheless, this study does offer some hope for more exploration on the connections between diet and diabetes remission.

Roy Taylor, a professor at Newcastle University in the U.K. who co-led the study, said in a statement announcing the findings, “Rather than addressing the root cause, management guidelines for Type 2 diabetes focus on reducing blood sugar levels through drug treatments. Diet and lifestyle are touched upon, but diabetes remission by cutting calories is rarely discussed,” Taylor said.

He added that the participants were not asked to increase their physical activity at all but only asked to modify their diet.

“A major difference from other studies is that we advised a period of dietary weight loss with no increase in physical activity, but during the long-term follow up increased daily activity is important,” Taylor said.

Taylor also wrote that the study offered a universal approach to reversing diabetes compared to undergoing bariatric surgery, which can achieve Type 2 diabetes remission for some people, but “is more expensive and risky, and is only available to a small number of patients.”

While there is undoubtedly more to explore on this topic, the study offers hope for managing and even reversing diabetes. There are many areas where we can improve our approach to our health and see actual, meaningful results. We can prevent many illnesses and afflictions that can arise later in life by taking these steps now.

How to Address Prediabetes Risk-Factors

Do you feel you might be at risk for diabetes? Are you worried you may already be experiencing the symptoms of prediabetes? There’s no time like the present to start to explore a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk. Here are a few things to consider if you want to decrease your risk for diabetes.

1.      Follow a Healthy Diet

There are many ways to follow a healthy diet. The best philosophy seems to be eating whole foods and focusing mainly on plant-based options. Include lean protein and avoid processed foods, preservatives, and added sugars. We discuss the benefits of Sattvic philosophy towards food as an age-old teaching in our series The Yoga Diet. 

2.      Manage Stress

Stress plays a significant risk factor in many medical conditions, including diabetes. When we live a high-stress lifestyle, we often avoid the activities that keep us healthy—exercise, nutrition, sleep. If we want to avoid any and all illnesses, managing stress is critical. Practice mindfulness, take breaks, and listen to your body.

3.      Exercise

Even though the diabetes remission study didn’t include exercise as part of reversing diabetes, exercise can help keep us healthy and strong. When we exercise, our body metabolizes food more efficiently; it helps our blood sugar levels stay steady and generally keeps us running at optimal levels.

4.      Drink Water

Water is wonderful for our bodies, and hydration is so crucial for health. When we drink water, it helps our bodies move everything along. Water can help with constipation, kidney efficiency, and energy levels. Aim to get 8-10 glasses of water per day.

5.      Curb Snack Cravings

If you tend to graze and snack throughout the day, your blood sugar levels could be a factor. Keep your blood sugar steady with a product like GC Control from Melaleuca. These shakes help you avoid the binge-crash-binge cycle that so many of us experience. They will keep your blood glucose steady and help you feel healthy and energetic throughout the day.

These steps may seem simple, but they’re an essential part of managing your health. Remember that diabetes is something you can live with and manage. Even though it’s a challenging health issue, it’s doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy the activities and even the foods you do now. It just requires more diligence about keeping your blood sugar steady.

As always, follow the advice of your physician for managing your diabetes. I’m optimistic that studies like the diabetes remission study from the Lancet will bring us closer to a permanent cure for this illness. Let me know how you manage your diabetes and what you think of this study in the comments!

---