The way to diabetes remission

If you want to resolve your Type 2 diabetes and reduce your risk for cardiovascular and kidney complications a new study in Diabetologia provides a road map.

When researching the effect that diabetes remission has on long-term health outcomes, the scientists found that it reduces the risk of chronic kidney disease by 33% and cardiovascular disease by 40% (even if eventually the diabetes returned). They also identified the most effective ways to KO Type 2 diabetes (and to keep prediabetes from progressing).

The study participants, who had diabetes for a mean of six years and were obese, reduced their daily calorie intake to about 1,200 to 1,800, depending on their weight. (You may decrease your calorie intake as you shed pounds.) Total fat made up less than 30% of their calories; saturated fat was less than 10%.

They increased physical activity to 175 minutes a week, including brisk walking and moderate-intensity activities — that’s anything that makes your heart beat faster and you breathe harder, but you can still talk. This improved their weight, fitness, and blood sugar and LDL cholesterol levels.

If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes, it’s never too late to get the benefits of improved nutrition and physical activity — to reverse diabetes and to protect you from serious complications.

For step-by-step guidance on upgrading your nutrition and activity level, check out our book “You on a Diet” and Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook” and read Dr. Oz’s blog at iHerb.com, “Dr. Oz’s 9-Step Daily Wellness Routine.”

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook. com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb. com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.