Will Type 2 Diabetes Go Away with Weight Loss?

Types-2 diabetes is a progressive condition of when the body cannot control blood sugar as well as it should. It can lead to chronic high blood sugar, which is starting point for the complications to occur. There are some treatment options to cope with. How about weight loss? Does it help make diabetes go away?

Type-2 diabetes, how common is it?

Diabetes has several types, and type-2 is the most common diabetes. It accounts about 70-90 percent of all cases of diabetes. The exact cause is not known, but it has some well-established risk factors.

It is hereditary and has strong genetic. Your risk is higher if you have a family history of the same condition. It is also likely to occur in older adults or the risk increases with age. These are unchangeable risk factors.

But this doesn’t mean that it is not preventable. There are plenty of modifiable risk factors to help prevent it such as with healthy-balanced diet, weight control, and exercise. So even though you have family risk factor for diabetes, there is still good chance to make it preventable!

The complications of diabetes can be serious and life-threatening. These include: cardiovascular diseases (including heart attack), stroke, nerve damage, skin problems, kidney failure, dementia (like Alzheimer’s disease), and more.

There is also a condition called type-1 diabetes. It is categorized into autoimmune condition in which the body immune system mistakenly attacks the wrong target. In this case, without known reasons the immune system destroys healthy cells of pancreas that produce insulin.

Type 1 is more difficult to treat than type 2. It is also not preventable and has nothing to do with lifestyle factors. Pancreas of people with type 1 diabetes can be very poor in producing insulin or even it may not be able to make any insulin.

Is type 2 diabetes curable at early stage?

Pre-diabetes is a condition of when you have high blood sugar (higher than normal), but it is not high enough to be categorized into diabetes. Having it doesn’t mean you will definitely develop diabetes. But you’re at 10-20 times greater risk than people without pre-diabetes.

So pre-diabetes means you’re so close to type-2 diabetes, but the disease is still preventable. With some lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and eating well, type-2 diabetes can be prevented (even though you have pre-diabetes).

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, can it be cured? Early stage of type-2 diabetes may still be curable, too – though this chance is relatively smaller than pre-diabetes.

An interesting study in 2011, funded by Diabetes UK, showed that it might be still curable for patients with newly diagnosed type-2 diabetes! The study asked patients to follow 600 calorie a day diet for 2 months.

That study found:

1. All participants successfully made the disease go away.
2. Three months after finishing the diet, most of them (7 of 11 participants) were still diabetes-free. But there is no information whether the disease is really cured or just goes into remission.

The result is quite promising. But the study is a very small trial – more studies are required! Researchers suggest that it’s all about the energy balance in the body. Eating more than the body needs may play a key role in increasing the risk of type 2, especially for people who are more susceptible to the disease.

Will type 2 diabetes go away with weight loss?

The information about curing diabetes through lifestyle measures sounds too good to be true. Unfortunately, the answer of this issue still remains puzzling.

Although some studies suggest that type 2 may be able to be cured at its early stage, but currently it still has no cure. While some lifestyle measures are very important to manage diabetes, whether you really can cure it is a different matter.

Furthermore, many different factors can contribute to determine the outlook and prognosis of the disease! How severe it is, how long you have had it, and even your genes may have an effect. Each case is unique, and therefore it should be evaluated on individual basis.

How about weight loss? Weight loss does help control blood sugar in people with diabetes, especially those with overweight or obesity. But the answer of whether it can help cure the disease is not known. In fact again, currently there is no known cure for diabetes!

What experts know that type-2 can go into remission. When it’s in remission, the symptoms can go away, too.

Weight control or weight loss (if you’re obese) can help make diabetes go away (in remission). But it doesn’t work alone. Other appropriate lifestyle measures are required. These include:

1. Healthy-balanced diet. It is not only important to keep your blood sugar under control, but also good for your weight control.
2. Regular exercise, another key to keep your weight off.

Although type-2 diabetes is easier to treat than type-1 diabetes, but it is also a lifelong disease. Since there is still no known cure, diabetics need to take the medicines for long term. And even it may require more complex treatment as the disease progresses, especially if it has caused complications.

Can you make your diabetes go into remission? The answer is dependent on several factors. Even with the same strategies (such as with the same exercise, weight loss, or diet), the result can vary from patient to patient. But in general, your chance to make the disease inactive (in remission) is greater if you:

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1. The chance to make type-2 diabetes go away in remission is greatest at early stage of the disease.
2. Remission is also mostly likely after a big scale of weight loss, such as after taking weight-loss-bariatric surgery. But this doesn’t mean that you need to lose more pounds of weight even though you already have healthy weight!

On the other hand, the remission is less likely to occur in the later stages of the disease or when it has become advanced. Furthermore, the ability of the body in making insulin is likely to decrease over time!

Other helpful tips

Hopefully, someday researchers can find a cure for type-2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the main goal is to make it go away for as long as possible (inactive, in remission). However in fact, not all diabetics can get their remission.

But whether or not you go with remission, it’s always important to keep the blood sugar in the normal target range. This target can vary, ask your doctor about your normal blood sugar targets you need to follow – see also this general guide!

What else to remember? Here are other tips to keep in mind:

1. Simple carbohydrates can increase your blood sugar more quickly, since they are high in glucose and low in fiber. It’s much better to choose complex carbohydrates, high-fiber foods, or low-GI foods! GI (glycemic index) is used to measure the effect of different foods on blood sugar. The higher level of GI, the faster it will cause a rise in blood sugar level. See also simple checklists of what to eat and what to avoid for diabetes in this section!
2. Instead of eating large meals for 2-3 times a day, try with small meals and spread them throughout the day! This is also great for your weight control!
3. Do exercise regularly! Brisk walking is one of excellent choices for diabetics. It is not only helpful to keep you active but also great for your heart! Check your blood sugar before exercise, particularly true if you take insulin!
4. Check your A1c level! It is used to help analyze your blood sugar level over 2-3 months before the test. For diabetics, it’s usually recommended to take A1c test every six months or ask your doctor for more guidance!