
Can diabetes be cured? A review of therapies and lifestyle changes
Diabetes is a condition that affects blood sugar levels and causes many serious health problems if not managed well. The health impacts of diabetes can be limited, but can it ever be "cured"?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that develops when the body destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This means people with type 1 diabetes do not make insulin.
In those with type 2 diabetes, there is a decreased sensitivity to insulin and the body does not make or use as much insulin as it needs. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes.
This article reviews therapies and lifestyle changes that can help reduce the effects of diabetes on a person's health.
It also explores whether these treatments can help "cure" diabetes, or if they are simply helpful ways to manage the condition.
Contents of this article:
Is diabetes curable?
Medically speaking, there is no cure for diabetes but it can go into "remission."
Diabetes in remission simply means the body does not show any signs of diabetes. However, the disease is technically still there.
According to Diabetes Care, remission can take different forms:
Partial remission: When a person has had a blood glucose level lower than that of a person with diabetes for at least 1 year without any diabetes medication.
Complete remission: When the blood glucose level returns to normal, not simply pre-diabetic levels, for at least 1 year without any medications.
Prolonged remission: When complete remission lasts for at least 5 years.
Even if a person has had normal blood sugar levels for 20 years, their diabetes
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