Diet, exercise can reverse Type 2 diabetes, Montreal Heart Institute study suggests

A team of doctors at the Montreal Heart Institute found that a healthy diet and exercise can actually reverse Type 2 diabetes in some cases.

Diet and exercise have long been prescribed for those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, but a team of doctors at the Montreal Heart Institute found in some cases it can reverse the disease.

Dr. Josep Iglesies-Grau, a preventive cardiologist, said a study conducted over one year showed remarkable progress for patients who drastically cut out ultra-processed foods and adopted regular exercise and weight training.

“We have seen that these patients doing a more intensive lifestyle intervention, they reach up to 50 per cent of remission of prediabetes and up to 38 per cent of remission of Type two diabetes,” he said.

Dr. Islesies-Grau said the results have huge implications in preventing heart disease, since pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are major risk factors.

“It’s not just controlling the disease. We try really to reverse the disease going to the root of the cause, which is particularly lifestyles, on top of, genetic causes,” he added.

Claude Brillon has been part of the diabetes remission clinic at the Montreal Heart Institute after he suffered a stroke in 2023.

“It was a wakeup call,” he said.

He said though he thought he had a healthy lifestyle prior to the stroke but found out he was prediabetic. He received help from dieticians to identify and eliminate ultra-processed foods, adopted intermittent fasting, and added an exercise program that included strength training, and is now in remission.

“There were small things that made a lot of difference,” Brillon said.

While he lost weight, he said he also had to learn how to manage stress and he now meditates.

“You can have very good diet, exercise, and things like that but if you’re not handling your stress, then that can have an impact,” he said.

While Brillon is committed to making these changes permanent, Dr. Iglesies-Grau said there are some patients who do not continue.

“We know from other studies that there are some patients that relapse, and that’s also very important,” he said. “That’s why we call it remission and not cure because some patients can relapse.”

While exercise is important, he said 80 per cent of the work is diet and said more needs to be done to educate young people about the impact of ultra-processed food, and how to identify these products.

He also suggests cooking and eating at home and focusing on building muscle mass.