There is no cure for type 2 diabetes. Losing weight, eating well, and exercising can help control the disease. If diet and exercise aren't enough to control blood sugar, diabetes medications or insulin therapy may be recommended. While there is no cure for type 2 diabetes, studies show that some people can reverse it. Through dietary changes and weight loss, you may be able to achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels without medication.
There is no cure for diabetes. However, treatment can control the disease and people may be able to reach a stage of remission of diabetes. But yes, it's possible to put type 2 diabetes into remission. This happens when your blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range and you no longer need to take diabetes medicines.
Achieving diabetes remission may be as simple as making changes to an exercise routine or diet, or it may be more difficult. Not only can losing weight help you control your diabetes, but sometimes losing enough weight could help you live diabetes-free, especially if you've only had the disease for a few years and haven't needed insulin. For people who are diagnosed with prediabetes or are concerned that they may be at risk of developing it, “the first thing they should do is focus on losing weight and making dietary changes.”, says Dr. Other common risk factors for prediabetes include being over 45, exercising less than three times a week, having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes (or a family history of) type 2 diabetes, and giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
If you see a product that claims to cure diabetes or replace prescription diabetes medication, be careful. The CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), which includes an ongoing outcome study, has shown that people with prediabetes who lost a modest amount of weight between 5 and 7% (10 to 14 pounds for a person weighing 200 pounds, for example) with the help of a structured lifestyle change program reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%. Another study showed that eating very few calories (500 to 600) 2 days a week and following a normal diet on other days helped people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and lower their blood sugar levels, as well as limiting calories to 1200 to 1500 per day. Doctors may prescribe one of these medications or a combination, depending on the severity and presentation of the diabetes. Jastreboff also points out that in the study “Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth” (TODAY), a major clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), young people who developed type 2 diabetes at an early age had more serious cases than adults with the disease.
However, some people may go for years without problems controlling glucose and the health problems associated with diabetes. The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes is to follow a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables with a low glycemic index, maintain a healthy body weight and do exercise regularly. While this means that type 2 diabetes is much more widespread than type 1 diabetes, it also means that a person with type 2 diabetes can make relatively simple adjustments to their lifestyle and diet to bring their blood sugar levels back to the natural range. Even if a person maintains regular blood sugar levels for 20 years, the doctor would consider that their diabetes is in remission rather than cured.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that develops when the body destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. More physical activity is one way to improve diabetes, but it can be difficult to lose enough weight to go into remission just by exercising.
