Many people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes search for a cure. While a cure doesn’t exist (yet), remission is possible for some. In the past type 2 diabetes has been considered a progressive condition, one that cannot be stopped. However, research in recent years has shown that remission is possible in the early years after diagnosis, with less than five years often used as a benchmark.

What does remission of type 2 diabetes mean?

While there is no formally accepted definition of type 2 diabetes remission, the one most commonly used is to achieve and maintain an HbA1c (that’s the three-monthly blood check your doctor does) of less than 6.5% or 48mmol/mol for at least three months, without taking any glucose lowering medication.

Research results in achieving remission in people living with type 2 diabetes

Older research (Chinese Da Qing and Finnish Programs) suggested a 5-10% reduction in bodyweight was fairly easily achieved and able to be maintained, as well as slowing progression of pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes by just under four years for up to 58% of participants.

The US Diabetes Prevention Program 1996-2001 aimed for a bodyweight weight loss of 7% which also resulted in a 58% reduction in the incidence rate of type 2 diabetes.

Newer research from the UK DiRECT study aimed for a weight loss of 15kg or more and the likelihood of remission increased with the amount of weight loss achieved. Remission was achieved by 57% of people who lost 10-15kg and 86% of participants who lost more than 15kg.

Diet modifications, increased exercise and sometimes bariatric surgery have been used to achieve remission. You’ll need a good healthcare team of a doctor, dietitian, exercise physiologist and diabetes educator to help you achieve remission.

I’m in remission, now what?

Once remission is achieved, to maintain in remission you cannot go back to your old eating and physical activity habits. You must maintain your healthy eating pattern and regular physical activity every day. You must also maintain the weight loss you achieved.

You still need to keep following your diabetes annual cycle of care, as damage to blood vessels and nerves begin long before your type 2 diabetes, and even before your pre-diabetes, was diagnosed. Keeping on top of your annual cycle of care means potential complications can be managed or prevented.

Keeping on top of your annual cycle of care means your doctor can check that you remain in remission as there is still the possibility that other factors, such as age, will cause you to progress out of remission back to type 2 diabetes requiring medication.

Don’t consider this as failure. Consider that you have slowed the progress and delayed the likelihood of developing longer-term complications of diabetes.

If you are keen to aim for remission then you have nothing to lose in giving it a go. Let us know how you go!

By Dale Cooke APD