TL;DR
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A randomized trial of 96 adults aged 18 to 45 with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes found that 54% assigned to an intensive diet-and-exercise program met the study’s remission criteria after 24 weeks, compared with about 4% receiving standard care. The results were presented at an EASD meeting and published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas; remission under the trial definition does not mean diabetes is permanently cured.
A randomized clinical trial found that 54% of younger adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes assigned to an intensive diet-and-exercise program met the study’s remission criteria after 24 weeks, compared with about 4% receiving standard care. The results, reported at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting and published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas, point to a potential treatment approach for adults under 45, but do not show that diabetes was permanently cured.
The trial enrolled 96 adults aged 18 to 45 with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes who were not using insulin. Participants were recruited at research centers affiliated with the University of Leicester in England, McGill University in Montreal and the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Fifty were assigned to the intensive program and 46 to usual care. The study was open-label, meaning participants and researchers knew which group each person was in, though assessment of the primary outcome was blinded.
For the first 12 weeks, the intensive program prescribed 800 to 900 calories a day and supervised aerobic and resistance exercise twice weekly, alongside one independent exercise session each week. Participants then moved to a weight-maintenance diet and continued exercising independently for another 12 weeks. Under medical supervision, participants in this group stopped glucose-lowering medication at the program’s start; medications for blood pressure were also stopped in specified circumstances. These study procedures should not be taken as advice for people to change medication or diet without a clinician.
At 24 weeks, 27 of 50 intervention participants met the remission definition, compared with two of 46 in usual care. Remission required HbA1c—a measure of average blood glucose over roughly three months—to be below 6.5% (48 mmol/mol), with no glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. The report says 86 participants, or 90% of those enrolled, completed final assessments. Researchers counted missing remission data as no remission in their analysis.
A Short-Term Option for Younger Adults
The findings address a group that can face a long period of living with diabetes after diagnosis. The report says early-onset type 2 diabetes is often associated with a faster decline in blood sugar control and earlier complications than diabetes diagnosed later in life. A program that can help some younger adults meet remission criteria may offer a way to improve blood glucose without medication during the period measured by the trial.
The difference between the groups—54% versus about 4%—is substantial within this study, but it should be read alongside the trial’s size, duration and specific participant group. The results do not establish how well the program would work for older adults, people without obesity, or people using insulin. Nor do they establish whether remission persists after the 24-week assessment or reduces complications over the longer term.
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How the 24-Week Program Worked
Researchers tested whether combining calorie restriction with planned exercise could improve on a low-calorie diet approach previously studied for type 2 diabetes. Exercise was included not only as a way to support blood sugar management, but also to help maintain fitness and muscle during weight loss. The trial’s program was structured in phases rather than being a calorie-restricted diet maintained unchanged for the full six months.
In the first two weeks, participants replaced meals with specially formulated nutrition products. From weeks three to 12, the program allowed one conventional meal a day alongside the calorie target and specified amounts of protein, fruit and non-starchy vegetables. From week 13, the focus shifted toward maintaining weight loss. The study ran across three research centers in England and Canada; enrollment took place from September 2021 to June 2025.
“The research tested whether adding structured exercise to a low-calorie diet could increase remission after 24 weeks in adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes.”
— Professor Kaberi Dasgupta, McGill University, and Professor Thomas Yates, University of Leicester, with colleagues
Durability and Wider Applicability
The reported outcome was measured at 24 weeks; the source material does not establish whether participants remained in remission after that point. It also does not provide longer-term results on diabetes complications, cardiovascular outcomes or how many participants later restarted medication. Those questions matter because remission is not the same as a permanent cure.
The trial included 96 participants, and the results apply most directly to adults aged 18 to 45 with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes who were not using insulin. The available report does not provide enough detail to assess how the program’s effects varied across participant subgroups, or how feasible and safe the same intensive regimen would be in broader clinical settings. Further, the study’s open-label design means participants and researchers knew the assigned treatment, even though the primary outcome assessment was blinded.
Longer Follow-Up Will Matter
The immediate next question is whether participants sustain remission after the structured program ends. Longer follow-up could show how blood glucose, medication use, weight and fitness change over time, and whether any differences in health outcomes persist. The source report does not specify a date for further results or describe a planned next trial.
For now, the study supports further evaluation of an intensive lifestyle intervention for this particular group, rather than a general recommendation to follow its calorie target. Anyone with diabetes considering major changes to food intake, exercise or medication should discuss them with a qualified health professional. In the trial, medication changes and the demanding diet were undertaken with medical supervision.
Key Questions
What did the trial find?
Twenty-seven of 50 participants assigned to the intensive diet-and-exercise program met the study’s remission criteria after 24 weeks. In the usual-care group, the result was two of 46, or about 4%.
How did the researchers define remission?
Participants needed an HbA1c below 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and had to be off glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. The definition applies to the study’s measured outcome; it does not mean the condition was permanently cured.
Who took part in the study?
The trial included 96 adults aged 18 to 45 with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes who were not using insulin. The results may not apply in the same way to people outside those criteria.
What did the intensive program involve?
For 12 weeks, participants followed a medically supervised diet of 800 to 900 calories per day and took part in supervised exercise twice weekly plus one independent session. They then followed a weight-maintenance diet and continued independent exercise for another 12 weeks.
Does remission mean diabetes is cured?
No. The source defines remission through blood sugar and medication criteria over a specified period. Long-term durability is not established by the 24-week results, and the report does not show whether participants remained in remission later.
Source: sciencedaily.com
