Energy balance
Significant weight loss (≥15% body weight) achieved through intensive dietary intervention can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in a majority of patients.
To potentially reverse Type 2 Diabetes, you must lose a significant amount of weight—specifically 15% or more of your body weight. This usually requires a structured, intensive dietary intervention (like total diet replacement) under medical supervision, not just 'eating less'. The goal is to remove fat from your liver and pancreas to restore their normal function.
Notably, at the 24-month mark, diabetes remission was achieved in 70% of the participants who lost at least 15% of their body weight.
Why this rating
Based on the DiRECT study, a large RCT, though the paper is a review summarizing it.
Source
Investigating the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes from the Perspective of Adipose Tissue
Zezheng Kang et al. · Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity · 2025
DOI 10.2147/dmso.s524000
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