Know all about 'diabetes reversal' and how a patient can be 'cured' completely

Diabetes is a major public health problem worldwide. Current global estimates indicate that this condition affects 415 million people worldwide and is set to escalate to 642 million by the year 2040. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high.

Blood glucose is the main source of energy and comes from the food we eat. A hormone made by the pancreas, Insulin helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Insulin is released when you have just eaten a meal and the level of glucose in your bloodstream is high.

It works by stimulating the uptake of glucose into cells, lowering your blood sugar level. Your liver and muscles can take up glucose either for immediate energy or to be stored as glycogen until it's needed. However, if a person develops diabetes then the pancreas will not be able to make insulin.

This is called type 1 diabetes. In such patients, the body gets glucose from food, but the glucose can't get into the cells and it stays in the blood. This makes the blood sugar level very high. People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin injections to make sure that blood glucose levels are maintained. With type 2 diabetes, the body can still make insulin.

These days a lot of talk is going around 'diabetes reversal' which can be seen as a ray of hope for thousands of people who are suffering from the disease. While such a reversal is possible for some people with type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is not reversible. However, there are many factors related to the reversal of diabetes, which people are not aware of.

How type 2 diabetes can be reversed?
Type 2 diabetes is most typically linked to old age, a family history of the disease or being overweight.

This occurs due to fatty accumulation in the liver and the pancreas causing metabolic stress and limiting responsiveness to insulin.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes are encouraged to manage their weight and may also be prescribed medications like metformin.

Multiple studies suggest type 2 diabetes symptoms can be relieved through weight loss if individuals manage to keep off the weight.

However, the success is largely dependent on the severity of symptoms, how long the person is diabetic and dependence on medication.

Metformin actively reduces the amount of sugar in the blood by limiting production in the liver. It also increases insulin sensitivity in muscle cells.

Following a Keto diet, which restricts carbs significantly, could be particularly useful as a tool for sufferers of type 2 diabetes.

The Keto diet has proven to force the body into a metabolic state of 'ketosis', meaning that it breaks down fat instead of carbohydrates.

It has shown to help people lose excess weight, reduce the risk of developing diabetes and improve glycemic control in those already diagnosed.

A more extreme method of reducing the symptoms of type 2 is bariatric (weight loss) surgery.

This is generally only given to people with a very high BMI but shows great results in improving blood sugar levels.

Conclusion
Well goes the proverb - Prevention is better than cure. So we suggest avoiding all food and bad lifestyle habits that may lead to diabetes.

It's largely up to an individual to decide to take on and sustain long-term lifestyle changes which will better their health.

It's important to understand that the word 'cure' in diabetes may be misleading as it implies permanency. What happens is technically diabetes remission.

Symptoms can disappear and a patient may not require to take the medication in some cases, but there is always the chance that symptoms could return.

So even though diabetes reversal may not be permanent, with a proper diet and healthy lifestyle the sugar level in the blood can be managed.