Trial: 54% of Young Adults Achieve Diabetes Remission — SkimNews
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- RESET for Remission was an open-label trial that randomized 96 adults aged 18–45 with early-onset type 2 diabetes and obesity who were not using insulin; after 24 weeks, 27 of 50 intensive-program participants achieved remission, versus 2 of 46 receiving usual care (54% vs 4%).
- Adjusted analysis found intensive-program participants were 21 times more likely to achieve remission than the usual-care group; 86 of the 96 randomized participants also completed the final assessments.
- Intensive lifestyle program paired an 800–900-calorie daily diet with supervised aerobic and resistance exercise twice weekly and one independent session weekly for 12 weeks, followed by weight-maintenance eating and independent exercise through week 24.
- Intervention group participants with available weight data averaged an 8.4 kg loss over 24 weeks, versus 1.2 kg for controls; adjusted analysis found 7.5 kg more weight loss, including 6.6 kg more fat loss.
- Resistance training was built into the rapid-weight-loss phase to target muscle preservation, and the analysis indicated that substantial fat loss occurred alongside preserved muscle and fat-free mass.
- Intervention participants had at least one adverse event in 43 of 50 cases, versus 6 of 46 controls; no severe adverse events were reported, while constipation, headaches, dizziness and fatigue generally resolved.
- Remission definition required HbA1c below 6.5% and no glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks; the researchers cautioned that remission does not necessarily mean the disease was permanently cured.
Why it matters: For adults aged 18–45 with early-onset type 2 diabetes and obesity, a 54% six-month remission rate versus 4% with usual care makes the intensive program materially more effective in this trial. But 43 of 50 intervention participants had adverse events, making side effects and the distinction between remission and a permanent cure as important as the headline result.
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