What the study found
A strict routine that combined a low-calorie diet with supervised strength and aerobic exercise helped more than half of younger adults reverse type 2 diabetes within six months, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. Fox News reported on the findings.
The research, known as the RESET for Remission trial, found that 54% of participants under age 45 who completed the intensive lifestyle program achieved remission. Only 4% of those receiving standard medical care reached the same milestone. After accounting for baseline health factors, the researchers concluded that people in the program were 21 times more likely to reach remission than those getting routine care.
Participants lost an average of 18.5 pounds over 24 weeks and significantly improved their treadmill endurance and overall cardiovascular fitness.
How the program worked
Researchers from McGill University in Canada and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom enrolled 96 adults ages 18 to 45 who had obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes. None were using insulin. Those in the intervention group stopped their blood sugar and blood pressure medications under medical supervision and began a diet of 800 to 900 calories a day.
For the first two weeks, they consumed only meal-replacement products. From weeks three through 12, they could also eat one structured meal of lean protein and vegetables daily, before moving into a weight maintenance phase for the final 12 weeks. The program included supervised aerobic and resistance training twice a week, plus one workout on their own.
To count as remission, patients had to keep their HbA1c level below 6.5% for at least 12 weeks while completely off diabetes medications.
Muscle, adherence and side effects
Lead author Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, a professor of medicine at McGill University, told Fox News Digital that there had been concern that combining a low-calorie diet with supervised exercise might be too much of a burden. "However, people in our study stayed in our study," she said. Only 10% of participants missed the final evaluations, and patients attended a median of 17 of 20 scheduled supervised gym sessions.
Resistance training was emphasized to counter the loss of lean muscle that can come with rapid weight loss. Experts warn that crash dieting or appetite-suppressing medications may cost people muscle along with fat. Dasgupta said the team was "happy and surprised" that MRI studies showed participants lost fat from their organs and liver while their muscle did not decrease and their handgrip strength rose.
The routine did take a toll. Roughly 86% of the intervention group reported mild to moderate side effects, mostly in the early weeks, including headaches, fatigue, dizziness and constipation. Researchers noted that no severe medical complications occurred.
Limitations and what comes next
The trial was small, with fewer than 100 people at medical centers in England and Canada, and lasted only six months. Dasgupta said the main limitation was that the diet-plus-exercise group was compared with usual care. She said the team would have liked to compare diet alone with diet and exercise to show more definitively that the muscle and fitness gains came from exercise.
Health professionals cautioned that diabetes remission is not a permanent cure, and that sustaining an 800-calorie threshold alongside supervised gym sessions may be a steep challenge for busy adults outside a clinical setting. The study authors said longer-term trials in real-world settings are needed to determine whether patients can keep the weight off, preserve muscle and remain medication-free once daily routines resume.
