Diabetes can be reversed in just 4 MONTHS through a combination of drugs, exercising and a healthy diet

Experts tested a combination of pills, insulin and therapies on Type 2 patients
This resulted in 40% of patients entering remissions, the researchers found
They were able to stay in remission 3 months after stopping diabetes drugs

Diabetes can be reversed in just four months by intensive medical treatment, new research shows.

Despite being considered a condition that can’t be cured, scientists have managed to dispel the myth.

In the latest clinical trial, a combination of pills, insulin, diet and exercise allowed 40 per cent of type 2 patients to enter remission.

The results could ‘shift the paradigm’ of treatment away from one that simply manages blood sugar levels.

A combination of pills, insulin and lifestyle therapies resulted in remission from type 2 diabetes in up to 40 per cent of participants in a clinical trial

Study Dr Natalia McInnes, of McMaster University, Canada said: ‘The findings support the notion that type 2 diabetes can be reversed.

‘The research might shift the paradigm of treating diabetes from simply controlling glucose to an approach where we induce remission and then monitor patients for any signs of relapse.

‘The idea of reversing the disease is very appealing to individuals with diabetes. It motivates them to make significant lifestyle changes and to achieve normal glucose levels with the help of medications.

‘This likely gives pancreas a rest and decreases fat stores in the body, which in turn improves insulin production and effectiveness.’

As the condition progresses, sufferers often need to maintain a healthy diet, exercise and a combination of medications to manage it.

But the researchers wanted to test other possible methods and so divided 83 sufferers of the condition into three separate groups.

As the condition progresses, people with it often need to maintain a healthy diet and exercise manage the condition

STAY AWAY FROM GLUTEN FREE DIETS

Trendy gluten-free diets may increase the risk of developing diabetes, a study warned last week.

Scientists said those who have low levels of gluten in their diet had a 13 percent higher risk of developing type 2 than those with higher levels.

Harvard researchers looked at the gluten intake for almost 200,000 participants in three long-term health studies,

The eating plan is advocated by celebrities such as actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham.

Two were given an intensive intervention with a personalised exercise plan and cut their calorie intake by 750 a day.

Half underwent the lifestyle changes for eight weeks, while the rest were treated for four months.

The control group received the standard lifestyle advice given to all patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

After the treatment finished, both sets of participants stopped taking their diabetes medications to test the effects.

Three months after the intervention, 11 out of 27 people in the four month treatment plan met the criteria for remission.

Only four out of the 28 in the control group ticked the same boxes, according to the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Sufferers undergoing the eight week plan fared slightly better, with six out of the 28 entering remission.

Maggie Meer, organiser of the Diabetes Professional Care conference said: ‘This study, whilst showing significant positive results, also shows that what is missing in the real world is a focus on patients as individuals.

‘This study gives proof that reversal is possible and touches on the need for flexibility in how patients are put onto a programme.’