Diabetes is a commonly occurring systemic disease. We all have a family member or colleague affected by diabetes. Diabetes is controlled by taking insulin or pills daily for the rest of your life. This leads to a question. Is reversing diabetes possible? A situation where reversing type 2 diabetes is possible without lifelong medication.
When we say reversing diabetes, it means controlling high blood sugar levels over an extended period without medication. To understand how this is possible, let us first understand what diabetes is and how it affects our body.
The body utilises the food we consume in the form of sugar. Insulin is required for our body to use sugar. Insulin is produced in the pancreas. B-cells are responsible for producing insulin. In healthy individuals, insulin is produced that helps in processing sugar, thereby avoiding an abnormal increase in blood sugar levels.
In a diabetic patient, high blood glucose levels lead to glucose toxicity. Glucose toxicity decreases the function of b-cells, and there is a decrease in insulin production. Depending on the severity of diabetes, b-cells stop producing insulin or the body cannot utilise insulin.
Diabetes is characterised by insulin resistance or decreased insulin production.
Reversing diabetes of all types is not possible.
These are the different types of diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes
This type of diabetes is hereditary or genetically acquired. Individuals are affected from a young age. Insulin is not produced in this case. The patient’s immune system is responsible for killing the b-cells in the pancreas. Therefore, the patients are completely dependent on insulin from outside the body. Reversing diabetes naturally is not possible in this case of diabetes. No remission is seen here.
Type 2 Diabetes
This is the most common type of diabetes. Commonly seen in middle-aged people from the age of 30 and onwards. Obese Individuals develop insulin resistance owing to high glucose levels. Long-term glucose toxicity decreases the function of b-cells in the pancreas.
Reversing type 2 diabetes is possible because controlling the high glucose levels will restore the function of the b-cells of the pancreas. We will discuss reversing diabetes naturally later in this article.
Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women may develop diabetes during or post pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is common and acquired.
Diabetes is a lifestyle disease. The affected individuals must take medications daily to control the high glucose levels. Reversing diabetes means restoring the function of b-cells to normal. It is a vicious cycle. We have to break the cycle to reverse diabetes.
Reducing glucose toxicity will:
1) Improve b-cell function
2) Decrease insulin resistance
3) Improve the absorption of glucose
Thereby reducing the high level of glucose that caused glucose toxicity in the first place.
Therefore it is very important to understand diabetes cannot be cured. Reversing diabetes is possible because it can go under remission. Glucose control determines how long the effects of remission will last. Continuous high sugar levels will affect the b-cell function, returning insulin resistance and diabetes.
Thorough research has found an association between diabetes and weight loss.
Study says that weight loss helps in reversing diabetes. Let us see how.
The human body stores excess fat in 2 ways
1)Fats are stored in the skin.
2)Fat is stored around the organs.
Researchers have found that excess fat stored around the liver and pancreas contributes to the destruction of b-cells and reduces b-cell function. Therefore type 2 diabetes is most often associated with obesity.
Weight-loss and diabetes.
Weight-loss benefits diabetic patients by restoring b-cell function and decreasing insulin resistance. There is a direct association between weight loss and reduction in high sugar levels. Researchers concluded that HbA1c levels were consistently lower in diabetic patients who lost weight compared to obese people with diabetes.
In type 2 diabetic patient, long-term high sugar level is initially treated with insulin. Following the insulin treatment, these patients are advised to take pills. The improvement in the sugar levels will improve b-cell function. This improvement in the sugar level and b-cell function can be maintained by weight loss. It has been seen that reducing weight and diet control can be effective for up to 8-12 months in reversing diabetes. A normal b-cell function can be maintained naturally without medication.
Different methods in reversing diabetes
Healthy low-calorie diet
Several studies found that consuming a low-calorie diet reduced 15-20 pounds and showed a massive improvement in their blood sugar levels. Thereby showing reversal or remission in diabetes, the effects of which were seen up to 6-8 months. This is an extreme form of diet and should strictly be followed under the guidance of a physician or a clinical dietician.
Exercise
Exercise helps reduce weight and has proved beneficial in reversing diabetes, but it works best when coupled with a good diet plan. An unhealthy diet will lead to a high sugar level, thereby neutralising the effect of exercise. Also, this is not helpful in extremely obese individuals as it is difficult for them to do so.
Bariatric surgery
This procedure reduces the capacity of an individual to eat by reducing the size of the stomach. Research showed that 1/3rd of the patients who opted for this surgery showed permanent reversal of diabetes. Although there is no apparent reason for how this procedure cures diabetes, some researchers say that it affects the hormones of the stomach to control blood glucose levels.
Patients with a BMI of 30, those with diabetes not more than five years, and who do not use insulin are candidates who can opt for this procedure.
Research suggests that reversing diabetes is possible. But the effects are not permanent. A conscious effort is required to control high sugar levels to maintain the normal function of b-cells in the pancreas. A good diet and exercise are the two main weapons that will aid in controlling diabetes for an extended period.
Meta description
Recent research suggests a positive association between weight loss and reversing diabetes. Various methods to help you control sugar levels without medication.