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Question & Answer

We are discussing Living with Diabetes
With Angela Blair, Kristen Hazelwood and the Department of Health and Ageing

Question:
I heard stories about people completely reversing their diabetes and becoming diabetes free, is that true, can that happen?

Answer:
Angela - As yet there is no cure for diabetes. Diabetes is a disease where the blood glucose levels (BGLs) are higher than normal.

In type 1 diabetes the cells that produce insulin are destroyed so there is no cure unless these cells can be replaced. Type 1 diabetes is managed by replacing the insulin produced automatically by the body to regulate the BGLs. It is common for a person with type 1 diabetes to inject insulin 2 to 6 times per day.

To manage type 2 diabetes the aim is too bring the BGLs back into the normal range of 4 to 8 (mmol/l) by healthy eating, being more active, losing excess weight and taking medication if required. Normal BGLs equals good diabetes control. So in a sense if you achieve normal BGLs do you still have diabetes? The answer is yes, as it is a disease for life. If the person changed their lifestyle, ate more sugary foods, become less active, gained weight especially around their middle the BGLs would rise again.

Also type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, the longer you have it the more treatment may be needed to achieve normal BGLs. This may mean the inclusion of diabetes tablets or even insulin injections to achieve good diabetes control. Often good control or normal BGLs can be mistaken for a cure.

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