Have you ever heard the expression, “Lose weight like your life depends on it…”? That mantra might be truer than we know for those with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Recently a clinical trial showed that nearly half of individuals with type 2 diabetes achieved remission to a non-diabetic state after a weight-loss intervention (within six years of diagnosis). Now a new study1 reveals that this successful response to weight loss is associated with the early and sustained improvement in the functioning of pancreatic beta cells.
Diabetes affects approximately 422 million people worldwide2. Approximately 90% of cases are type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not produce enough or respond properly to insulin, which is produced by pancreatic beta cells. Insulin helps sugar (“glucose”) in the blood enter cells and be used for energy. Type 2 diabetes has long been considered a lifelong condition that worsens over time. This finding challenges this previous paradigm that beta-cell function is irreversibly lost in patients with T2D.
Currently this diagnosis carries a protocol of pharmacotherapy and lifestyle changes. But the data published August, 2018 could change this. According to one of the study authors, Roy Taylor – Newcastle University, “…Our data suggest that substantial weight loss at the time of diagnosis is appropriate to rescue the beta cells.” He said this knowledge of reversibility of T2D will provide a major focus for cell biologists to make specific advances.
The findings suggest that weight loss normalizes fat metabolism in T2D individuals, but there are time limits for the weight loss and weight maintenance. More studies are now underway, but there is now new hope to reversing T2D with a successful weight loss intervention. When a weight loss journey can make all the difference in your quality of life, make sure you hire support to increase your odds of success – contact a personal trainer, nutritionist, dietician, or nutritional therapist.
References
- Roy Taylor, Ahmad Al-Mrabeh, Sviatlana Zhyzhneuskaya, Carl Peters, Alison C. Barnes, Benjamin S. Aribisala, Kieren G. Hollingsworth, John C. Mathers, Naveed Sattar, Michael E.J. Lean. Remission of Human Type 2 Diabetes Requires Decrease in Liver and Pancreas Fat Content but Is Dependent upon Capacity for β Cell Recovery. Cell Metabolism, 2018; DOI: 1016/j.cmet.2018.07.003
- World Health Organization
