A strict routine combining a low-calorie diet with supervised strength and aerobic training helped more than half of younger adults reverse within six months, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
The study, dubbed the RESET for Remission trial, found that 54% of participants under age 45 who completed the intensive lifestyle program achieved disease remission.
In comparison, only 4% of participants receiving standard medical care reached the same milestone.
VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT MAY DELAY DIABETES IN SELECT GROUPS, RESEARCHERS SAY
Type 2 diabetes diagnosed at a younger age is historically aggressive, according to medical literature.
Patients diagnosed before 45 face a faster loss of blood sugar control, earlier cardiovascular complications and a shorter overall than those diagnosed later in life.
Researchers from McGill University in Canada and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom enrolled 96 adults between the ages of 18 and 45 who were living with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes. None of the participants were using insulin.
The intervention group halted their blood sugar and blood pressure medications under medical supervision and began an intensive 800- to 900-calorie daily diet.
SIMPLE EXERCISE DONE JUST ONCE A WEEK COULD HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
For the first two weeks, patients consumed only meal-replacement products. From weeks three through 12, they were allowed one structured meal of lean each day alongside meal replacements, before shifting into a weight maintenance phase for the final 12 weeks.
The program paired calorie restriction with supervised aerobic and resistance training twice weekly, plus one weekly solo workout.
“Our study shows that it is possible to combine a low-calorie diet with in young adults with type 2 diabetes,” lead author Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, a professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at McGill University, told Fox News Digital.
“There has previously been some concern about combining the two as being too much of a burden for people. However, people in our study stayed in our study.”
Only 10% of participants failed to complete the final evaluations, and patients attended a median of 17 out of 20 scheduled supervised gym sessions.
The researchers emphasized resistance training to combat the loss of lean muscle mass, a major risk associated with rapid weight loss.
4 SIMPLE HABITS CAN HELP SLOW MUSCLE LOSS AS YOU AGE, FITNESS EXPERT SAYS
People who lose weight through crash dieting or appetite-suppressing medications may shed muscle along with fat, experts warn. If the weight returns, some research suggests it may come back disproportionately as body fat, potentially affecting and metabolism over time.
“In our study, we think the diet provoked the weight loss, and exercise helped make sure it was [not] from muscle,” Dasgupta said.
“We were happy and surprised that not only did people lose fat from their organs and live
