Type 2 diabetics should lose weight as soon as they are diagnosed if they want to beat the disease.
Those who go on a strict 800-calorie diet 2.7 years after their diagnosis are more likely to go into remission than diabetics with the same eating plan who were diagnosed 3.8 years ago.
Living with type 2 diabetes for more than three years may damage the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas beyond repair, a study by the University of Newcastle found today.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body stops making insulin or no longer responds to the hormone that is produced.
Type 2 diabetics should lose weight as soon as they are diagnosed if they want to beat the disease. Those who go on a strict diet 2.7 years after their diagnosis are more likely to go into remission than those who do so 3.8 years after they were diagnosed (stock)
The researchers analysed a previous study of theirs, known as DiRECT, which was made up of 298 adults who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes less than six years ago.
The participants, who were aged between 20 and 65, ate just 825-to-853 calories a day for between three and five months.
A healthy diet was then gradually reintroduced, along with support to maintain their weight loss.
Some 46 per cent of the participants were free of type 2 diabetes a year later compared to just four per cent who did not embark on the diet.
In the new study, the scientists investigated why weight loss helps some patients achieve remission and not others.
They assessed the amount of fat in the livers and pancreases of 58 DiRECT participants over a year.
Of which, 40 were in remission, while the remaining 18 still had type 2 diabetes.
During DiRECT, all of the 58 participants lost a similar amount of weight, with those in remission shedding two-and-a-half stone (35lbs) compared to 2.1 stone (29.4lbs) in those who still had diabetes.
All of the participants also had similar reductions in the level of fat in their livers and pancreases.
However, only those in remission showed early and continued improvements to their beta-cell function. Beta cells are in the pancreas and produce insulin.
After losing weight, the beta cells of those in remission started to work properly again.
There was no change in the amount of insulin being produced by those who continued to battle type 2 diabetes.
On average, those who entered remission had been living with type 2 diabetes for just 2.7 years compared to 3.8 years for those who still had the disease.
The new study was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Berlin.
‘Our findings suggest that the longer someone has lived with type 2 diabetes, the less likely the function of their beta cell is likely to improve,’ lead author Professor Roy Taylor said.
‘The clinical message is clear: The new effective weight loss approach should be advised for all with type 2 diabetes, especially at the time of diagnosis.’
The researchers acknowledge, however, that most of the participants were white and British. The results may therefore not apply to other ethnicities.
The participants were also only followed for a year, with longer follow-ups being underway.
It is estimated that more than one in 17 people in the UK and a total of 30.3 million in the US have diabetes.
Of which, 90 per cent have type 2, which is associated with obesity.
This comes as research released today suggests women who begin the menopause before the age of 40 are 50 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
And those who stop having their periods before 45 are 15 per cent more at risk compared to women who enter the menopause at the ‘normal’ age of 45-to-55, a study by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, found.