DR. MICHAEL MOSLEY: Why doesn’t the NHS tell you the secret of treating diabetes?

Eight years ago I managed to beat type 2 diabetes by taking my 5: 2 diet (fewer calories two days a week) and losing weight – 9 kg to be precise.

Since then, I’ve become a broken record on the importance of losing body fat in order to improve your blood sugar levels.

So last week I was amazed by the news from the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study – the largest of its kind in the world – which showed that even a modest weight loss can have a huge impact.

A recent review by Danish researchers found that more than 70 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who had lost significant weight were still drug-free more than five years later [File photo]

The Norfolk study recruited more than 1,000 people with pre-diabetes (which means they had raised blood sugar levels). They were asked to lose weight and were then monitored for more than eight years. Those who managed to lose 2kg to 3kg and kept it off cut their risk of developing a full blown Type 2 nearly in half.

This contributes to extensive research by British scientists, which shows that type 2 diabetes can be brought into remission not only by pre-diabetes but also by a fast diet for weight loss. And as we’ve known for 20 years, weight loss surgery can also reverse type 2.

A recent review by Danish researchers found that more than 70 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who had lost significant weight were still drug-free more than five years later.

Despite all of that, the NHS Choices website still states that type 2 diabetes is a “progressive” disease that “usually gets worse over time,” with most people requiring more and more medication. What a depressing – and I would say imprecise – message.

Why aren’t they a little more encouraging? The situation with type 2 diabetes reminds me of a dispute with the medical institution more than 25 years ago.

In 1993 I was looking for a topic for scientific documentation when I came across the work of two Australians, Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren, who had a remarkable new theory about stomach ulcers.

I was amazed last week by the news from the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study – the largest of its kind in the world – which showed that even a modest weight loss can have a huge impact [File photo]