This doesn’t mean you’re completely cured. Type 2 diabetes is an ongoing disease. Even if you’re in remission, which means you aren’t taking medication and your blood sugar levels stay in a healthy range, there’s always a chance that symptoms will return. But it’s possible for some people to go years without trouble controlling their glucose and the health concerns that come with diabetes.
So how can you reverse diabetes? The key seems to be weight loss. Not only can shedding pounds help you manage your diabetes, 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.
Low-Calorie Diet
Several studies in England have looked at the effects of a very low-calorie diet on diabetes. Two had people follow a mostly liquid diet of 625-850 calories a day for 2-5 months, followed by a less restricted diet designed to help them keep off the weight they lost. Both studies found that nearly half the people who took part reversed their diabetes and kept their blood glucose near the normal range for at least 6 months to a year.
