Energy balance
Energy-restricted dietary interventions (specifically very-low-calorie diets of 600-853 kcal/day) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes (HbA1c <6.5% without medication), with remission rates strongly correlated with the magnitude of weight loss and inversely correlated with the duration of diabetes.
If you have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, aggressive calorie restriction (often via meal replacements around 600-850 kcal/day for a few months) under medical supervision can potentially put your diabetes into remission. The key factors are losing a significant amount of weight (often >10% of body weight) and acting early in the diagnosis. This is not just about weight loss for aesthetics, but a medical intervention to restore metabolic health.
A higher level of remission was observed with greater calorie restriction in non‐new diagnosis studies. Greater weight loss was associated with increasing rates of remission (r = 0.83). A recent diagnosis of diabetes was associated with higher remission rates (75%–80%) with an inverse association between duration of diabetes and rate of remission (r = −0.94).
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review of 8 trials (4 RCTs, 4 single-arm) with a total of 5764 participants, though heterogeneity in study design is noted.
Source
Energy‐restricted interventions are effective for the remission of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: A systematic review of the evidence base
Elizabeth Jacob et al. · Obesity Science & Practice · 2021
DOI 10.1002/osp4.504
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