A low-calorie diet combined with a structured exercise programme put early-onset type 2 diabetes into remission for 54 percent of participants in a new trial. The result offers younger patients an alternative to lifelong drug treatment, provided the changes are sustained.
Remission without new drugs
Participants followed a reduced-calorie eating plan and a supervised activity schedule. Those who lost the most weight and kept it off were the most likely to reach remission, defined as normal blood sugar without medication for at least a year. Researchers said the finding matters most for people diagnosed before age 40, who often face decades of treatment and higher complication risk.
The complications that follow
Separate research found that almost one in three adults develop cardiorenal disease or die within five years of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, underlining how quickly the condition can affect the heart and kidneys. Another study linked short steroid courses to higher risks of pneumonia and heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes, a caution for routine prescribing. Functional decline was also found to precede cardiovascular events by many years, suggesting earlier screening could help.
Smaller findings worth watching
Vitamin B12 deficiency was linked to a higher fracture hazard after 50, and postpartum prescriptions of GLP-1 drugs rose sharply among US women. Imaging research showed MRI brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease appearing years before symptoms, while a trial of a personalised kidney cancer vaccine reported no recurrences among nine patients. Researchers also found distinct gut microbiome patterns across five cancer groups and in early-onset cancers, and reported that lavender oil reduced core symptoms of major depression in one study.