{"id":19989,"date":"2022-11-17T10:34:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T15:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=19989"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:30:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:30:27","slug":"can-you-reverse-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/can-you-reverse-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Reverse Diabetes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diabetes can come with a slew of uncomfortable symptoms that can significantly affect your quality of life. The disease greatly increases your risk of cardiovascular and kidney problems. It can lead to painful complications in your lower extremities and sometimes blindness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While we can\u2019t cure diabetes, you can decrease your symptoms with the right tools. Some can even achieve diabetes remission. Managing diabetes \u201cgets easier with time,\u201d says <\/span>Dr. Jason Baker<\/span><\/a>, who is both a type 1 diabetic and <\/span>an attending endocrinologist at Cornell Medical College in New York. \u201cDiabetes is a marathon, not a race.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We break down what you should know about mitigating diabetes symptoms and living a healthier, happier life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Is there a cure for diabetes?<\/h3>\n

Today, there is no cure for type 1 or type 2 diabetes. That said, you can minimize your symptoms with careful guidance from your doctor, coupled with healthy lifestyle changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People with type 2 diabetes can work toward achieving <\/span>remission<\/span><\/a>. In remission, people with type 2 diabetes can get their blood sugar below the diabetic range without needing diabetes medication. Type 1 diabetics can strive for normalcy through regular insulin injections and careful health management.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are prediabetic, which means your blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes, there\u2019s good news: You <\/span>can avoid<\/span><\/a> developing full-blown diabetes by implementing better lifestyle habits. People <\/span>almost always<\/span><\/a> develop prediabetes before developing Type 2, and <\/span>more than 80 percent<\/span><\/a> of people with prediabetes don\u2019t know they have it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, you\u2019re at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a later date. Therefore, people with gestational diabetes could also benefit from lifestyle changes that can help prediabetics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How can I improve my diabetes symptoms?<\/h3>\n

While diabetes can be difficult to get under control, many experts agree that a healthy diet and moderate exercise are your keys to success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSignificant and sustained weight loss is the most important factor\u201d toward reversing the physical impact of type 2 diabetes, says <\/span>Dr. William Cefalu<\/span><\/a>, director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A BMI, or body mass index, between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, while over 30 is considered obese. One study found that being <\/span>moderately overweight<\/span><\/a> could increase your chance of diabetes complications.<\/span><\/p>\n

While weight can play a role, it\u2019s not always directly related; you can also be overweight, healthy and never develop diabetes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that the BMI calculator is both rudimentary and <\/span>controversial<\/span><\/a> as a measurement, and that it doesn\u2019t account for factors like muscle mass. One study <\/span>found<\/span><\/a> that people with lower BMIs but higher waist circumferences were more likely to be at risk of diabetes than their more muscular counterparts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eating the right foods for balancing diabetic blood sugar levels can be \u201ceasier than most people think,\u201d says <\/span>Mary Ellen Phipps<\/span><\/a>. She\u2019s a diabetes dietitian who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 5 and has written two cookbooks on easy recipes for diabetics. \u201cFocus on what to add to your diet to achieve blood sugar balance,\u201d she says, such as fat, fiber and protein, rather than eliminating sugar and carbohydrates altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

What\u2019s a healthy baseline for living with diabetes?<\/h3>\n

If you have type 1 diabetes, you\u2019ll give yourself insulin shots or wear an insulin pump every day to manage your blood sugar levels, since your body can\u2019t manufacture its own insulin. You\u2019ll also monitor your blood sugar every so often and check in with your healthcare team on a regular basis to make sure you\u2019re staying within a healthy range.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have type 2 diabetes, are prediabetic or have gestational diabetes, you may or may not need medication, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Either way, you can improve your quality of life by incorporating healthier lifestyle habits and diet guidance from an experienced medical provider. Add in some time to heal and you may be able to recover to the point of remission \u2014 and keeping the condition there forever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Need a doctor? Find one on Zocdoc<\/a>.<\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s complicated \u2014 and it depends on which type you have. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":19990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\nCan You Reverse Diabetes? - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While there's no cure for diabetes, people with type 2 can achieve remission, in which their symptoms are much less severe.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/can-you-reverse-diabetes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can You Reverse Diabetes? 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