More Than Half of Young Adults With Early Type 2 Diabetes Reached Remission in a 24-Week Diet and Exercise Trial

Of adults under 45 with early-onset type 2 diabetes who followed a low-calorie diet and a supervised exercise program for 24 weeks, 54% reached remission, compared with 4% of those who received usual care, according to a trial reported by Medical Xpress. The results appeared October 2 in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.

Remission meant normal blood sugar without medication

The researchers defined remission as an HbA1c below 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) while off glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. In the intervention group 27 of 50 participants met that bar, against 2 of 46 in the usual-care group, so those on the program were far more likely to reach remission.

An 800 to 900 calorie diet plus structured exercise

The trial was randomized and open-label, with endpoints assessed blind, and it enrolled 96 participants at three centers in England and Canada. People in the intervention group followed a low-energy diet of 800 to 900 kilocalories a day, made up of 30% protein, 50% carbohydrate and 20% fat. They also did supervised aerobic and resistance exercise twice a week for the first 12 weeks, plus one session on their own, then moved to a weight-maintenance diet with independent exercise for weeks 13 to 24. The design is laid out in the trial protocol.

“Our remission rates are at the upper end of those previously reported in the literature for trials of similar duration.” — Study authors, led by Kaberi Dasgupta (McGill University) and Thomas Yates (University of Leicester)

What the trial does not show

The main result is measured at 24 weeks in a relatively small group, so it does not show how many people stay in remission afterward, and the program is intensive. Early-onset type 2 diabetes, diagnosed before age 45, is the group studied, and the findings do not necessarily apply to older adults.