Diabetes Cure Story
Most people end up with type 2 diabetes for two reasons. Their body has become resistant to insulin because they are overweight or obese. And their pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to overcome that resistance.
Diet and exercise are considered essential to treating diabetes. In fact, many people who eat right and work out every day respond so well it feels like a diabetes cure, especially if they lose a significant amount of weight and their blood sugar levels remain stable.
Unfortunately, by the time diabetes has progressed far enough to be diagnosed, the pancreas often has been damaged by the strain put on it. Many cells in the organ have ceased producing insulin altogether, and there's no way to reverse the damage. That means if the patient slacks off on diet and exercise, the diabetes will return as strong as ever.
The good news: If you catch diabetes early enough, you can prevent further damage to your pancreas. That makes diet and exercise very important, and maintaining an ideal body weight crucial. In fact, some people can control their blood sugar levels through diet and exercise alone, without having to resort to medicine.
Can You Quit Your Type 2 Diabetes Drugs?
Depending on the medication your doctor prescribes, you may be able to cut back or quit taking diabetes drugs if you make enough progress with lifestyle changes, says John Buse, M.D., PhD., director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
“The glitazone drugs, like Avandia, Actos and others, present an increased fracture risk in post-menopausal women,” Buse says, so for some patients it may be desirable to wane off of those drugs when possible. On the other hand, he adds, “There’s some evidence that metformin has benefits other than just controlling blood sugar. So you may not want to stop it entirely.”
When considering whether to reduce or cut a patient’s diabetes medication, Buse says he looks for an A1C count “significantly below seven” and notable progress in lifestyle adjustment — for example, consistent weight loss and regular exercise.
