Curing Diabetes type 2 is not a myth. This is my 9th or 10th patient (over the past year or so) whom I discontinued the anti-diabetic medicines. I am sharing one of my patients' story but almost all these patient's stories are the same. I have just facilitated these patients but the credit in all these cases goes to the patients who adhered to the dietary advice and continued regular exercise.

Let's first see how this patient cured his diabetes ...

This is a 41 years of age male patient who weighs 82 kgs with a BMI of 30.11 Kg/m². He was diagnosed as a case of diabetes type 2 five months back. His blood sugars when he first visited us were around 300 mg/dl, with the maximum recording of 392 mg/dl. His glycated hemoglobin was 12.3%. His dietary history suggested that he loved sweets, rice, and juices.

Treating the patient against the recommended guidelines ...

Glycated hemoglobin of 12.3 % and blood sugars of 390 mg/dl is an indication to start insulin. However, Since the dietary history was terrible, I prescribed the following medications:

• Tab. Empagliflozin + Metformin in combination at a dose of 12.5/1000 mg once after breakfast.
• He was advised to strictly avoid juices, cokes, and Pepsi along with other carbohydrate-rich bakery items.
• A regular twice daily brisk walk was advised.

These were his readings after 6 weeks of treatment. During this time, the patient lost about 5 kgs of weight with diet, exercise, and medications. I advised to discontinue all the medicines, continue regular exercise and re-emphasized the importance of diet. His blood sugar record after a week off-diabetic medicines was within the normal range.

Factors that have lead to the reversal of diabetes in these patients

"If you think that your doctor is going to control your diabetes then you will never achieve your glycemic targets". Patients with diabetes type 2 can achieve a good glycemic control provided they adhere to a strict diabetic diet and do regular exercise. A doctor can only adjust your medications, but that's only one aspect or one pillar of diabetes control.

The following are the factors that lead to the reversal of diabetes in our patients:

• All patients had diabetes type 2 for no more than 5 years.

• All patients were moderately obese.

• All patients were non-compliant to diet and had a sedentary lifestyle and adhered strictly to my advice regarding diet and exercise.

• All patients had a weight loss of at least 5 Kg over the three months' time.

• Most patients were initiated on metformin, empagliflozin, or sitagliptin.

In Summary,

Curing diabetes type 2 requires strict adherence to diet and exercise by the patient and dedication from the physician. Certain medications like SGLT 2 inhibitors (Dapagliflozin and Empagliflozin) are especially helpful in obese patients with mild to moderately uncontrolled diabetes.