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Is diabetes reversible? What can be done to reverse the disease – breaking latest news

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Is diabetes reversible?  What can be done to reverse the disease – breaking latest news
Of Christine Brown

Diabetes is a chronic disease and there is no definitive cure, however a category of patients can aspire to return their blood sugar to normal without having to take drugs

When a patient is diagnosed with diabetes the moment when he needs all the help he can get. The first few weeks are crucial for organizing new eating habits, learning how to measure blood sugar, manage medications. One of the first questions that patients ask themselves: but will it be able to heal? Will I have to take medication for life?

We must be clear – he warns Gabriele Riccardiformer professor of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at the Federico II University of Naples -. There is no definitive cure for diabetes and one cannot realistically heal forever once the disease has developed, except with a pancreas transplant, which is only possible in cases of type 1 diabetes which, among other things, presupposes a lifelong anti-rejection therapy. However in some cases the diabetes can be reversiblei.e. the return of blood sugar to normal conceivable even without drugs, and this is possible in those who are overweight and manage to achieve a significant reduction in weight.

What diabetes

Diabetes one chronic disease characterized by a excess blood sugar (hyperglycemia). In type 1 diabetes (which usually begins in childhood or adolescence) the pancreas does not produce insulin of ne produces little and must therefore be injected into the body on a daily basis. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose to enter cells and the consequent use as an energy source. When this mechanism altered the glucose accumulates in the bloodstream causing hyperglycemia.

Il type 2 diabetes
instead determined by one reduced sensitivity of the body to insulin: the pancreas is able to produce insulin, even if in small quantities, but the body’s cells are unable to use it. In both types of diabetes the high blood sugar level can harm our body causing heart disease, kidney problems, pain and damage to the limbs (diabetic neuropathy) with the need for amputation in the most severe cases and even blindness.

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Diabetes one progressive disease – Professor Riccardi confirms – linked to the fact that at a certain point the beta cells
the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas fulfill their function. In type 2 diabetes this process does not happen suddenly, but has a slow course that continues throughout life. As we age, beta cells age, becoming more fragile and less effective at producing insulin.

Why weight loss improves insulin effectiveness

Today we are unable to give life to beta cells that are slowly running out and this process
at the moment irreversible
. But those who are diabetic and overweight, with beta cells that don’t work well, could improve insulin effectiveness by losing weight
underlines Riccardi. But why with weight loss improves the effectiveness of insulin? all a matter of mass. With weight loss there less fabric who needs insulin to use glucose. If a patient with diabetes, who has partially compromised beta cell function, loses weight, what little insulin the beta cells can produce will be able to keep blood sugar at bay. The underlying problem has not been resolved, but at least the aggravating condition linked to excess weight has been resolved, says the diabetologist.

Unfortunately, for those who are diabetic but not overweight, there is no effective intervention with the exception of drugs. If diabetes arises only due to the little insulin produced and not due to its low efficacy, there are no other weapons to increase insulin secretion other than drugs, explains Riccardi. Paradoxically, it is the overweight person who can hope to achieve remission of diabetes through weight loss.

How Much Weight Should I Lose?

But how much weight should you lose? At least ten kilos. With less than ten kilos it is generally not possible to obtain a significant remission. But we have evidence that with significant weight loss, at least 50 percent of people will be able to achieve remission of diabetes for many years, explains Riccardi. And what are the advantages? Avoid the risk of aggravation over time as much as possible. The complications of diabetes are in fact related to duration of the disease: the longer the period in which you are exposed to high blood sugar the more likely you are to suffer from retinopathy, kidney damage, diabetic foot. Shortening the duration of the disease by 2-5 years will save time for complications to develop, as well as the quality-of-life advantage of avoiding drugs.

How to lose 10 kilos

Losing 10 kilos is certainly not easy, but under medical supervision, it is possible without risking other health problems. A UK study known as the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) has shown that patients can reduce blood sugar below diabetic levels. Two-thirds of the patients in this trial managed to keep their blood sugar under control for three years without drugs, which were stopped. Simultaneously the meals were replaced with a strict 800 calorie diet per day which basically consisted of artificial meals with basic nutrients and the strictly necessary calories. Then gradually, after two to three months, solid food was reintroduced and patients were supported by dietitians who tailored individual diet plans to maintain their weight loss. We know from this study that a strict low-calorie diet actually effective – confirms Riccardi – and it is important not to exceed a thousand calories a day. At least one meal should be replaced with so-called “drinks”: the patient does not even sit down at the table. The second meal can be solid, but reduced in terms of energy. When you reach the target weight loss you can go back to solid food, being careful not to regain weight. Everything must be done under strict medical supervision.

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Certainly the intense and demanding path. However, it is very uncomfortable to take multiple drugs every day and those with diabetes know this. The British trial underlines the importance of finding a nutritional plan to stick to for the long term, with nutritional changes designed to be sustained over the years and not for a few weeks.

The bariatric surgery

Those who need to achieve significant weight loss can opt for bariatric surgery or metabolic surgery, interventions on the digestive system. Bariatric surgery involves reducing the size of the stomach and consequently reducing the sense of appetite; metabolic surgery reduces nutrient absorption (less energy is assimilated from what we eat). It is very important – concludes the expert – that the false feeling of being healed does not pass because those who feel healed stop checking their blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin and the risk that the disease, always lurking, will manifest itself with all its seriousness . Remission possible, complete recovery not.

May 29, 2023 (change May 29, 2023 | 08:33)

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