It is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes without surgery. The truth is that reversing type 2 diabetes does not require surgery. What it does require is a consistent effort from you to make meaningful lifestyle and dietary changes.

Reversing your type 2 diabetes also requires that you follow your doctor’s recommendations, and the instructions from other members of your diabetes care team related to your medications, including taking insulin to manage your blood glucose levels.

Reversing diabetes through diet and exercise

The western diet and living a sedentary lifestyle are two primary contributors to type 2 diabetes. There are steps that you can take to change these contributing factors, and to potentially reverse your diabetes.

Switching to a diet that is nutrient-rich and low in carbs, along with getting as little as 30 minutes of activity daily can be instrumental in stabilizing your blood glucose levels. It allows your body to process sugars more efficiently, which can help to reverse type 2 diabetes.

Can all diabetes be reversed?

There is a chance that type 2 diabetes can be reversed in some people. Individuals who have type 1 diabetes cannot reverse their condition. It is an autoimmune condition in which the body no longer produces insulin at all.

Another point to consider is the fact that some people with type 2 diabetes have sufficient insulin resistance that the likelihood of controlling diabetes without insulin or reversing the condition altogether is minimal for those people.

There are surgeries that can help some people who have type 2 diabetes reverse the condition. Examples include bariatric surgery, like Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery, the gastric sleeve, and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch surgery. These surgeries are not always necessary to treat diabetes, especially for those who can make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes.