It might shock you to find out that the number of Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes almost doubled between 1980 and 2014 — and today, there are nearly 462 million people worldwide affected by the disease. If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body’s cells can’t properly take up sugar (glucose) from the foods you eat, and if left untreated, it can cause or escalate a whole host of devastating complications, like cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, Alzheimer’s, amputations, impotence, depression, and blindness..
The drastic increase in type 2 diabetes is largely attributed to another global epidemic — obesity. Nearly 40% of adults in the world are overweight, and more than 13% are obese. And as if that weren’t bad enough, more than 340 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight. Not surprisingly, the U.S. tops the list of high-income countries with obesity and maintains the distinction of having some of the fastest-growing obesity rates globally, with about 74% of American adults being overweight or obese.
Why Obesity Has Skyrocketed
The alarming rate at which obesity is afflicting the population is largely due to the change in food environment. Food is everywhere, from gas stations to bookstores, drug stores, and even gyms. Not only is food showing up in places it never used to be, but the majority of it is also ultra-processed. Foods that are billed as “low fat” or “healthy” like granola, yogurt, and fruit drinks, are often packed with added sugars or sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.
Americans are also eating out more than ever in history and are cooking much less. Restaurant meals today are four times larger than in the 1950s, and as a result, people typically consume much more when dining out.
But the single most significant contributor to calories and added sugar in the American diet now comes from sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), including soda and fruit drinks to sports and energy drinks — tacking on an average of 200 calories per day to American diets. When you drink SSBs, you absorb sugar into your bloodstream in a matter of minutes.
Reversing “Diabesity”
So what’s the solution to this “diabesity” epidemic? Many people, including plenty of doctors, have come to believe that diabetes is just something to accommodate and adjust to — a grim inevitability. But the latest findings from the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), published in The Lancet and showcased at the American Diabetes Association’s 2019 scientific session, are nothing short of remarkable. In a nutshell, losing a substantial amount of weight in a relatively short period can reverse type 2 diabetes.
Here’s why: Losing weight rejuvenates critical insulin-producing cells in the pancreas known as beta cells — and regenerating those cells can put type 2 diabetes into remission. For many years, doctors assumed that once the beta cells were damaged, they were lost forever.
But Dr. Roy Taylor, senior author of the study and professor of medicine and metabolism at the University of Newcastle in England, has shown that the beta cells are still there — they’re just unable to perform because of excess fat in the liver and pancreas. So when you take away the fat, the beta cells regenerate. They start producing insulin, and diabetes disappears. In the study, the minimum magic number people needed to lose to send diabetes into remission was 22 pounds, but most of those who achieved remission lost at least 33.
How to Lose Weight Quickly
If you’re pre-diabetic or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, here are a few ways to lose weight.
Radically reduce your sugar intake
Try doing a “no sugar” challenge for a set period of time, where you eat no added sugar and very limited carbs. Team up with friends or family and do it together, so you can support each other and hold each other accountable.
Shift your diet to high-quality foods
Healthy fats can actually help stabilize your blood sugar, and help you feel satiated. Olive oil, avocados, nuts, fatty fish, and some full-fat dairy products (such as unsweetened yogurt) are great options. For carbs, consider non-starchy vegetables, and all greens. Replace low-quality white grains with high-quality whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, farro and steel-cut oats.
Get a little extra help with technology
Gelesis, a biotech company in Boston, created an all-natural pill called Plenity that takes the edge off your appetite by filling you up right before you eat. The pill is FDA approved as a weight management tool and is available by prescription for adults with a BMI of 25 to 40. Wegovy is another prescription medicine available for adults who are overweight or obese. It slows down how fast your stomach empties food, making you feel less hungry. Both pills are designed for use as an adjunct to smart lifestyle choices such as a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Remember — when it comes to turning your health around, little changes can make for big rewards. By reducing your daily caloric intake by just 300 calories a day, the effect over time can be transformative. And the best news of all is that we now know that type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence. You have the choice, the knowledge, and the power to prevent it.
