Remission of pre-diabetes is possible even without weight loss, study shows

The discovery represents a significant change in how doctors can treat overweight or obese patients at high risk for diabetes

There is a long-standing belief in prevention diabetes that weight loss is the main way to reduce the risk of the disease. Our new study, however, challenges this belief.

For decades, people diagnosed with prediabetes — a condition that affects up to one in three adults, depending on age — have heard the same thing from their doctors: Eat healthily and lose weight to avoid developing diabetes.

About one in four people who follow lifestyle intervention programs restore their blood sugar level to normal without losing weight. Surprisingly, this remission with weight stability protects against future diabetes as effectively as achieved remission through weight loss.

This represents a significant change in how doctors can treat patients who are overweight or overweight obesity at high risk for diabetes. But how is it possible to reduce blood glucose levels without losing weight, or even gaining weight?

The answer lies in how fat is distributed throughout the body. Not all body fat behaves the same.

Visceral fat, located deep in the abdomen around the internal organs, acts as a metabolic disruptor. This abdominal fat causes chronic inflammation that interferes with insulin, the hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar levels. When insulin doesn’t work properly, blood sugar rises.

In contrast, subcutaneous fat – the fat directly under the skin – can be beneficial. This type of fat tissue produces hormones that help insulin work more effectively. Our study shows that people who reverse prediabetes without losing weight transfer fat from inside the abdomen to under the skin, even if their total weight remains the same.

We also discovered another piece of the puzzle. Natural hormones that are imitated by new weight loss drugs such as Wegovy AND Mounjaroappear to play a crucial role in this process. These hormones, particularly GLP-1, help the beta cells of the pancreas secrete insulin when blood sugar levels rise.

People who reverse prediabetes without losing weight appear to naturally improve this hormone system by suppressing other hormones that normally raise glucose levels.

Target fat redistribution

The practical implications are encouraging. Instead of just focusing on the scale, people with prediabetes can try reducing body fat diet AND exercises.

Research shows that polyunsaturated fatty acids, abundant in Mediterranean diets rich in fish oil, olives and nuts, can help reduce visceral belly fat. Likewise, resistance training can reduce abdominal fat even without overall weight loss.

This does not mean that weight loss should be abandoned as a goal: it remains beneficial for overall health and for the prevention of diabetes. However, our findings suggest that achieving normal blood glucose levels, regardless of weight changes, should become the primary goal of prediabetes treatment.

This approach could help millions of people who have had difficulty with traditional weight loss programs, but who can still achieve significant health improvements through metabolic changes.

For healthcare providers, this research suggests the need to expand treatment approaches beyond weight-focused interventions. Monitoring improvements in blood sugar and encouraging fat redistribution through targeted nutrition and exercise may provide alternative routes to diabetes prevention for patients who have difficulty losing weight.

The implications extend globally, where diabetes is one of the fastest growing health problems. Recognizing that prediabetes can improve without weight loss opens up new possibilities for preventing a disease that strikes hundreds of millions worldwide and continues to expand rapidly.

This research fundamentally reshapes diabetes prevention, suggesting that improvements in metabolic health – and not just weight reduction – should be central to clinical practice. For many people living with prediabetes and feeling discouraged by failed attempts to lose weight, this offers renewed hope and practical alternative strategies to reduce their risk of diabetes.

Andreas L. Birkenfeld AND professor of Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology at the University of Tübingen and Reiner Jumpertz-von Schwartzenberg is professor of Clinical Metabolism and Obesity Research at the University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tübingen.

This content was originally published on The conversation. To read the original text, .

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.