In England and Canada, 54% of participants achieved diabetes remission — ScienceDaily
In a randomized clinical trial conducted in England and Canada, 54% of participants aged 18 to 45 with type 2 diabetes and obesity achieved remission after 24 weeks of an intensive program. In the usual medical care group, the figure was about 4%. ScienceDaily reports on the results, presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas.
How the study was conducted
The trial was conducted at three research centers in England and Canada affiliated with the University of Leicester, McGill University, and the University of Alberta. It involved 96 people with early-onset type 2 diabetes who were not using insulin. The participants' average age was 38 years, and their average body mass index was 35.2 kg/m².
During the first 12 weeks, participants in the intensive group consumed 800–900 kilocalories per day, performed supervised aerobic and strength exercises twice a week, and completed one independent workout each week. Over the following 12 weeks, they transitioned to a diet aimed at maintaining the reduced weight and continued exercising independently. At the start of the program, glucose-lowering drugs, as well as blood pressure medications in the absence of albuminuria, were discontinued under medical supervision.
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Remission and weight change
Remission was defined as a glycated hemoglobin HbA1c level below 6.5% without glucose-lowering drugs for at least 12 weeks. This condition means that blood sugar levels are below the diagnostic threshold without medication, but it does not indicate that diabetes has been permanently cured.
After 24 weeks, 27 of 50 participants in the intensive group and two of 46 people in the usual care group achieved remission. After statistical adjustment, the researchers estimated that the likelihood of remission was 21 times higher for participants in the intensive program. Average body weight among intervention-group participants with available data decreased by 8.4 kg, from 100.7 to 92.3 kg. In the control group, it fell by 1.2 kg, from 103.2 to 102 kg.
No serious adverse events were recorded in the trial. At the same time, at least one side effect was reported by 43 of 50 participants in the intensive program, compared with six of 46 in the control group. Constipation, headache, dizziness, or fatigue were most commonly recorded at the early stage of calorie restriction. The authors stressed that longer studies are needed to determine whether weight loss, muscle mass, and remission can be maintained outside conditions of close medical supervision.
