Diabetes Reversal: Everything You Need to Know

Being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes can be quite overwhelming, especially because the condition is perceived to be incurable. However, experts say that diabetes can be reversed during the initial stages.

According to Dr Sangeeta Kashyap (who is an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic), if you follow your doctor’s and nutritionist’s advice and make sincere efforts to lose weight, Type 2 diabetes can be reversed through normalisation of blood glucose levels, without the need for any medications early in the course of the disease: the first 3-5 years.

Researchers at the Scotland’s University of Glasgow agree with this viewpoint and wish to promote the message.

In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers in Scotland have reported that doctors and patients may lack awareness regarding Type 2 diabetes reversal. They went on to state that losing weight of nearly 33 pounds can, often, produce total remission of the disease, yet remission is frequently not coded in medical records.

They point to the findings of a US study that remissions occurred in less than 1% of 120,000 individuals who were successfully tracked for a period of 7 years. Likewise, a database that includes all Scottish patients demonstrates less than 1% of type 2 diabetes coded as being in the stage of remission.

Researchers concluded that greater awareness, meticulous documentation, and significant surveillance of remissions will eventually improve health outcomes and reduce overall healthcare costs.

Is Reversal Of Diabetes A Mere Idea?

Researchers say that the reasons for remission not being coded maybe because of disagreement on the part of medical professionals on the criteria, guidance, as well as the fact that just a few patients are making an attempt to gain remission or actually accomplishing remission.

Dr Ashwin Patel (who is the Chief Medical Officer at InquisitHealth and who is also on the Community Leadership Board of the American Diabetes Association) agrees.

Dr Patel says that there are “fixed” criteria when it comes to diagnosing the condition; hence, it makes Type 2 diabetes seem like an extremely clear and binary diagnosis. What it means is either you have it, or you don’t. He went on to state that besides there is an ongoing debate on what are the right criteria should be, there is a growing realisation that Type 2 diabetes is not binary, physiologically. Rather, it is more of a continuum.

Dr Kashyap points out that another reason for this is that even if blood glucose levels fall within the normal range because of weight loss that is achieved through exercising, dieting, or surgery, they may not stay normal for long.

She goes on to say that blood sugar levels may fall back into the diabetes range, and, hence, some individuals feel that there is no reversal of diabetes, but a mere silencing of the disease. Dr Kashyap calls this the “honeymoon period,” which means that although the blood glucose levels normalise, there is no need for medications, and things look promising, no one knows how long this period will last.

She notes that in up to 60% of individuals who undergo bariatric surgery, their diabetes resurfaces within a period of 15 years. The reasons for this phenomenon are not known; however, it may be because of genetic factors or weight gain.

Diabetes Reversal May be Worth the Psychological Boost

Whether or not an individual remains in a state of remission from diabetes for a long term, researchers say that making a note of their remission is worth it.

When someone works extremely hard to successfully lose 15% of their total body weight, they have put in a lot of effort. If blood glucose levels are normalised and there is no need for medications, it can be a significant psychological boost to make a note in their chart that they are in remission. This will eventually reinforce the message that if you put in the effort and work hard at losing weight you can witness optimum results.

Recognising remission when it comes to diabetes may additionally give a person a sense of control because weight and diabetes have a close association.

On A Final Note

Reversing diabetes is possible, but it is rare. If lifestyle changes are successfully implemented during the initial stages of diagnosis, and if medications are not needed, documenting that the condition is in “remission” or “being reversed” can have a significant impact beyond the individuals themselves.