One in 20 people with type 2 diabetes can beat the disease by changing their lifestyle, according to research.
The findings of the study from Edinburgh University counter the existing view that only stomach surgery or a low-calorie diet of shakes and soups can reverse the disease.
Researchers analysed the medical records of people aged over 30 in Scotland living with type 2 diabetes in 2019 and discovered that 4.8 per cent had achieved remission. This was defined as keeping normal blood sugar level for at least 12 months without medication.
The soup-and-shake diet was not widely available on the NHS at the time of the study.
The findings are likely to be welcomed by the more than four million people in the UK who live with type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and can lead to sight loss and other complications.
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The research discovered that people were far more likely to beat type 2 if they lost weight, with almost one in five in remission having lost at least 15kg (33lbs).
Although some may have lost weight through frailty or illness, over-75s were almost 50 per cent more likely to achieve remission than those between 45 and 54.
• How to lose weight fast and beat type 2 diabetes
Older women were more successful than older men, the study showed.
It also found that individuals with lower blood sugar levels at diagnosis were more likely to beat diabetes.
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Dr Mireille Captieux, who led the study, said: “We have been able to show, for the first time, that one in 20 people in Scotland with type 2 diabetes achieve remission.
“This is higher than expected and suggests many people may have been able to achieve remission without weight-loss surgery and meal-replacement diets. It may be that they took action such as starting cycling or trying to eat more healthily, for example.”
The authors hope their findings will help doctors in choosing patients who will particularly benefit from advice to lose weight and change their lifestyle. However, those who achieve remission are advised to avoid weight gain, as there is a risk of type 2 returning, the research found.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, found that 7,710 of 162,316 people managed remission. More than half were over 65 and nearly two-thirds had been diagnosed at least six years ago.
Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University, a diabetes expert, said: “Every new piece of evidence that people can reverse their diabetes is important and immensely pleasing.”
