Diet and supervised exercise put 54% of younger trial participants’ diabetes into remission
In a trial across Canada and the UK, 27 of 50 adults aged 18 to 45 with early-onset type 2 diabetes achieved remission after a 24-week low-energy diet and exercise programme, compared with 2 of 46 receiving usual care. The remission definition was HbA1c below 6.5% without glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks; the findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
Bottom line — At 24 weeks, remission was 54% with the programme and 4% with usual care; how long it lasts remains unknown.
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For the first 12 weeks, participants ate 800–900 kilocalories a day and attended two supervised sessions weekly, combining aerobic and resistance exercise.
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Participants then moved to a weight-maintenance diet and independent exercise for 12 weeks.
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The intervention group lost 7.5 kg more than the usual-care group, while changes in muscle volume and fat-free mass were similar between groups, News-Medical reports.
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Participants in the programme had greater improvements in handgrip strength and fitness relative to body weight, according to Healio.
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No serious adverse events were reported; common effects included constipation, headaches, dizziness and fatigue, according to MedPage Today.
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The trial had no diet-only group, so researchers could not establish how much exercise added to the diet’s effects; follow-up ended at 24 weeks.