Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with just six lifestyle changes

Addressing the six pillars of lifestyle medicine including eating a plant-based diet, exercising regularly, and prioritising sleep could help reverse type 2 diabetes, experts said today. 

With nearly six million people in the UK thought to be living with diabetes, the need for realistic and effective interventions has never been greater. 

Now doctors at The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, have shown that evidence-based lifestyle medicine can treat and even achieve remission of the condition. 

Lifestyle medicine heroes a clinical framework that focuses on the root cause of chronic disease through simple lifestyle interventions, such as stress management, exercise and avoiding harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco.

Dr Padmaja Pater, president of the ALCM, said: ‘Too often, chronic disease like type 2 diabetes is managed as a condition that patients must live with indefinitely. 

‘We believe remission for type 2 diabetes and many other chronic conditions should be the North Star outcome guiding care. 

‘This project reflects a shared vision of moving beyond symptom control toward health restoration, extended quality of life and a more sustainable future for health systems alike.’  

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make enough of the hormone insulin, or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly. 

This hormone is needed to bring down high blood sugar levels – which left unchecked can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke as well as problems with the eyes, kidneys and feet. 

It has long been suggested that sufferers may need to overhaul their lifestyle to keep the disease at bay, with approximately 90 per cent of cases being type 2 diabetes – which has been linked with obesity, lack of exercise and chronic stress. 

Some people are at a greater genetic risk than others, with experts now suggesting that more of these ‘at-risk’ people are developing diabetes than before due to modern lifestyles. 

Experts at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studied more than 86,000 participants aged between 20 and 79-years old, from 1984 to 2019. 

Diabetes was confirmed by self-report questionnaires and blood glucose readings. 

Over the course of the study the researchers found that more people who are susceptible to diabetes are now developing the disease than in the past.

 Writing in The Lancet’s Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, the researchers said: ‘We believe it is possible to view this as closely linked to societal changes that may be more conducive to developing diabetes.’ 

These changes include more sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy ultra-processed foods which make it harder to maintain a healthy weight, and more high-pressure working environments which drive stress levels and impact sleep. 

 One 2024 study found that getting less than six hours of sleep a night could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 16 per cent – with the odds remaining high even when people ate well, suggesting a healthy diet cannot compensate for sleep deprivation. 

The Swedish researchers, who tracked nearly 250,000 Britons, said their findings should serve as a ‘reminder that sleep plays an important role in health.’ 

Whilst further research is needed to understand the link between a lack of sleep and diabetes, the researchers highlighted other studies that have linked sleep deprivation to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. 

Other concerning research has suggested that artificial sweeteners added to supposedly ‘healthier’ fizzy drinks like Diet Coke could trigger type 2 diabetes. 

Last year, scientists found aspartame, which is found in products like Muller Light yoghurts, contributed to a worrying rise in diabetes risk – with those who consumed a cocktail of additives at a more than 10 per cent increased risk than those who steered clear of the artificial ingredients. 

It’s thought that artificial sweeteners can significantly alter the make-up of bacteria in the gut. This, experts say, changed the way the body absorbs and regulates blood sugar, which over time increases the risk of developing the disease. 

In a bid to combat the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, the NHS launched its soup and shake diet – which incorporates pillars of lifestyle medicine – which has now been shown to help thousands put their type 2 diabetes into remission. 

More than 13,000 adults in England were enrolled on the 800-calorie-a-day plan in 2024. 

Known as the soups and shakes diet, the intervention aims to help followers lose between 22lb and 33lb(10kg to 15kg), which is enough for most people to reverse the condition, experts say. 

Alongside the meal plan, patients are provided with one-to-one support and guidance to help them sustain a healthy lifestyle for longer and reintroduce healthy foods and maintain weight loss, while medications for type 2 diabetes and blood pressure are stopped.