Diet and exercise put diabetes into remission in younger adults

Type 2 diabetes diagnosed at a younger age tends to progress more aggressively than in older adults. People with early-onset type 2 diabetes develop complications earlier and face a shorter life expectancy. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas, tested whether an intensive lifestyle program could reverse that trajectory.

800 calories a day and twice-weekly exercise

The randomized clinical trial enrolled 96 participants aged 18 to 45 with type 2 diabetes and obesity. One group received usual care. The other followed an intensive program: 800 to 900 calories per day plus two supervised exercise sessions per week for the first twelve weeks, followed by a weight-maintenance phase.

After 24 weeks, 27 of the 50 participants in the intensive program achieved remission (54%), compared with 2 of the 46 in the control group (around 4%). Remission was defined as blood sugar below the diagnostic threshold without glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. The intervention group lost an average of 7.5 kg more than controls, including 6.6 kg of fat mass.

Side effects and caveats

At least one adverse event occurred in 43 of the 50 intensive-program participants, including constipation, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. These effects generally resolved over the course of the program. No severe adverse events were reported.

The trial was open-label: participants and researchers knew which treatment each person received. Whether remission is maintained after the program ends was not assessed.

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