Exercise and Diet Help Reverse Diabetes

Sep, 2020 - By SMI

The new research offers the strongest evidence confirming the effectiveness of exercise and diet in reversing type 2 diabetes.

The new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal has evaluated the effectiveness of exercise and diet as a type 2 diabetes treatment. Around two-thirds of diabetic patients have achieved complete reduction after one year of lifestyle intervention. To date, this is not the first research to suggest a lot of exercises, a healthy diet, and weight loss to help a person manage type 2 diabetes, many studies have already suggested this earlier. Moreover, over the past years, a constant stream of research has found that the disease can be effectively reverse with simple lifestyle interventions.

This new research offers the strongest evidence confirming the effectiveness of exercise and diet in reversing type 2 diabetes. During this research, the researchers recruited around 150 individuals aged 42 years (average), within three years of their initial type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The team divided them into two groups, the first group was assigned to standard care whereas the remaining group was assigned to intensive exercise and diet program. The exercise and diet program includes a low-calorie diet named the Cambridge Weight Plan for the initial 12-week.

After that initial diet, participants spent another 12 weeks after transitioning to a normal healthy diet, although this is still accompanied by a degree of caloric control. Moreover, the second group was advised to complete at least 10,000 steps each day and at least 150 minutes of physical exercise every week. The team found that the group assigned to intensive exercise and diet program lost an average of 12 kg compared to the standard-care group, lost an average of 4 kg. The researchers found that around 61% of individuals from the intervention group had eliminated diabetes. Whereas only 12% of individuals reached the same level of remission in the standard-care group.