Type 2 diabetes, which affects millions, was until now thought to be chronic and can lead to blindness, stroke, kidney failure and limb amputation. (Representational Image)
Scientists from a UK university have found that the life-limiting Type 2 diabetes can be cured through as little as one gram weight loss in the pancreas.
A new study by Newcastle University shows the disease is caused by fat accumulating in the pancreas and losing less than one gram from the organ can reverse the illness and restore insulin production.
Type 2 diabetes, which affects millions, was until now thought to be chronic and can lead to blindness, stroke, kidney failure and limb amputation.
"For people with Type 2 diabetes, losing weight allows them to drain excess fat out of the pancreas and allows function to return to normal," said Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University.
"So if you ask how much weight you need to lose to make your diabetes go away, the answer is one gram. But that gram needs to be fat from the pancreas. At present the only way we have to achieve this is by calorie restriction by any means, whether by diet or an operation."
"What is interesting is that regardless of your present body weight and how you lose weight, the critical factor in reversing your Type 2 diabetes is losing that one gram of fat from the pancreas," he explained.
According to 'The Daily Telegraph', as part of the study 18 obese people with Type 2 diabetes who were given gastric band surgery and put on a restricted diet for eight weeks were cured of their condition.
During the trial the patients, aged between 25 and 65, lost an average of 2.2 stone, which was around 13 per cent of their body weight.
Crucially they also lost 0.6 grams of fat from their pancreas, allowing the organ to secrete normal levels of insulin.
The team is now planning a larger two-year study involving 200 people with Glasgow University to check that the findings can be replicated and weight loss can be sustained for two years.