Can pre-diabetes be cured? Can insulin resistance be reversed?
Yes! In most cases both pre-diabetes and the effects of insulin resistance can be reversed.
Pre-diabetes is not yet diabetes so you still have a chance to swing the odds of not developing type 2 diabetes back into your favor.
There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but pre-diabetes can often be completely reversed if you take it seriously.
Studies Show Pre-Diabetes Can be Reversed
Major studies have shown that changes in lifestyle combined with the oral insulin sensitizing drug Glucophage, can not only reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but allows many people with pre-diabetes to restore blood glucose to normal ranges.
These studies show that with proper treatment and lifestyle changes the body can be “retrained” to use its own insulin properly again.
Weight Loss, Exercise and Medication
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a 3-year study called the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and published encouraging results in February 2002. 27 clinical centers from around the country participated in the study that focused on patients with pre-diabetes who were at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
The studied compared the effects of weight loss, exercise, behavior modification, and the medication Glucophage (metformin.)
Patients were separated into three groups:
- Lifestyle Intervention (those that exercised, learned healthier eating habits and behavior modification);
- Those who only took Glucophage; and
- The placebo group.
The study results showed that lifestyle changes (the Lifestyle Intervention group) could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% in the group that received intensive nutritional education, exercised 150 minutes per week, and lost weight. Those age 60 and over in this group reduced their risk by an impressive by 71%!
