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Professor Roy Taylor explains how Type 2 diabetes can be reversed.
The good news is, it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes and put it into complete remission or partial remission.1,2,3,4,5
Remission means glucose levels that return to normal levels without medication (tablets or insulin).
The primary means by which people with type 2 diabetes achieve remission is by losing significant amounts of weight.
Not everyone is successful in achieving remission or maintaining remission.
*References. Are you open to change?
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Hardcastle, Sarah J et al. “Motivating the unmotivated: how can health behavior be changed in those unwilling to change?.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 6 835. 16 Jun. 2015, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00835
Buckley, J., Cohen, J. D., Kramer, A. F., McAuley, E., & Mullen, S. P. (2014). Cognitive control in the self-regulation of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 8, 747. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00747
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*References: Desire to maintain your health for as long as possible
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*References: Which best describes your current circumstances
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Predictors of type 2 diabetes remission in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) G. Thom C.‐M. Messow W. S. Leslie A. C. Barnes N. Brosnahan L. McCombie A. Al‐Mrabeh S. Zhyzhneuskaya P. Welsh N. Sattar R. Taylor M. E. J. Lean
Speliotes, E., Willer, C., Berndt, S. et al. Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index. Nat Genet 42, 937–948 (2010).
Reference: How many antidiabetic medications are you taking?
Predictors of type 2 diabetes remission in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) G. Thom C.-M. Messow W. S. Leslie A. C. Barnes N. Brosnahan L. McCombie A. Al‐Mrabeh S. Zhyzhneuskaya P. Welsh N. Sattar R. Taylor M. E. J. Lean
*Reference: Have you ever succeeded in losing quickly?
Bąk-Sosnowska, Monika et al. “Do Psychological Factors Help to Reduce Body Mass in Obesity or is it Vice Versa? Selected Psychological Aspects and Effectiveness of the Weight-Loss Program in the Obese Patients.” Health psychology research vol. 1,1 e10. 21 Mar. 2013, doi:10.4081/hpr.2013.e10
*Reference: Do you feel depressed?
Reference: How motivated are you to reverse type 2 diabetes? (do you have the intent)
Sullivan S, Cloninger CR, Przybeck TR, Klein S. Personality characteristics in obesity and relationship with successful weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007 Apr;31(4):669-74. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803464. Epub 2006 Sep 5. PMID: 16953251; PMCID: PMC4450078.
*Reference: How effective are you in changing your habits? (do you have the ability)
Clark MM, Abrams DB, Niaura RS, Eaton CA, Rossi JS. Self-efficacy in weight management. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1991 Oct;59(5):739-44. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.59.5.739. PMID: 1955608.
Prochaska JO, Norcross JC, Fowler JL, Follick MJ, Abrams DB. Attendance and outcome in a work site weight control program: processes and stages of change as process and predictor variables. Addict Behav. 1992;17(1):35-45. doi: 10.1016/0306-4603(92)90051-v. PMID: 1595424.
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A score > 60 indicates potential for success in reversing Type 2 diabetes.
If your score is low then repeat the questions adjusting your answers where you believe you can. If your score is still too low, then you should consider addressing the issues that hold your score down before you attempt to reverse diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes has generally been regarded as progressive and incurable, but research has shown that for many patients it can be reversed with sustained weight loss of around 15 kg.
Results from the DiRECT trial showed that 9/10 people who lost 15kg or more were able to achieve type 2 diabetes remission.
“When fat cannot be safely stored under the skin, it is then stored inside the liver and overspills to the rest of the body, including the pancreas. This ‘clogs up’ the pancreas, switching off the genes [that] direct how insulin should effectively be produced, and this causes type 2 diabetes.”
Prof. Roy Taylor
Consult your doctor about ways to lose weight and achieve diabetes remission.