Low-calorie diet plus exercise reverses early-onset type 2 diabetes in 54%

A randomised trial published on October 1, 2026 in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas reported that a tightly supervised programme of low-calorie dieting and structured exercise can reverse early-onset type 2 diabetes in roughly half of patients. The study focused on adults under 45, a growing high-risk group whose disease tends to progress more aggressively than that of older patients. After 24 weeks, 54% of participants in the diet-and-exercise group achieved remission — defined as normal blood sugar off medication — compared with just 4% in usual-care controls. Average weight loss reached 8.4 kilograms (about 18.5 pounds) in the intervention group versus 1.2 kg in controls, with notable preservation of lean muscle, improvements in muscle quality, better cardiovascular markers and significant gains in self-reported wellbeing. The exercise regimen combined aerobic sessions with resistance training, while the diet relied initially on low-energy meal replacements before transitioning to a maintenance plan. Most intervention participants reported some early side effects — constipation, headache, dizziness and fatigue — but these generally resolved. Researchers said the results suggest that intensive, structured lifestyle therapy should be offered to younger adults soon after diagnosis rather than defaulting to lifelong medication.