Can Diabetes Really Be Reversed? Top Doctors Say The Reality Is More Complicated

On a sultry afternoon in Delhi, Mita (name changed), a 45-year-old corporate employee, sits down with a lifestyle and nutrition coach. Her glucose readings are consistently low. After six months in a diabetes reversal programme, Mita has lost weight, her hair and skin quality have improved, and she has stopped her medication. Her coach smiles and uses the word 'reversed': a term favoured in the wellness industry, yet controversial medically, since it suggests diabetes has been undone rather than controlled.

In a different setup, an endocrinologist reviews a similar case: a 75-year-old man has consistently worked on himself for two years: regular walks, lifestyle changes, dietary interventions. The insulin-lowering medicine has been reduced to zero. The doctor gives a reassuring smile but uses a different term: remission.

What Does Remission Mean?

The two words are at the heart of the debate in India and are also leading to a fast-growing, unregulated industry of “diabetes cure”. While the wellness coaches favour “reversal”, endocrinologists say “remission” is the right word. Remission is a state in which a person with Type 2 Diabetes achieves normal blood glucose levels without the need for glucose-lowering medications. Doctors, however, say it's important to note that this is not a quick fix or a silver bullet cure. The risks still exist, and relapse is always a possibility.

“Remission is the right word, because once diabetes converts to normal glucose regulation, at some point, it may increase again. Hence, we do not use the words 'cure' or 'reversal'. Of course, in any case, long-term management of diabetes and obesity will depend on discipline, diet, and exercise,’’ says Dr. Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology.

This, however, is not possible for type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease and irreversible. This is because it's a genetic disorder in which no insulin is produced. Dr. Misra, however, insists the “cure claims”, which are increasingly becoming viral, are “temporary and often exaggerated”.

New False Promise

India is one of the centres of the diabetes explosion in the world and is home to about 100 million people living with Type 2 Diabetes. As of 2023-2024, approximately 101 million people in India are living with diabetes, according to the ICMR-INDIAB study. Another 136 million are classified as prediabetic. This makes India one of the largest markets for the global diabetes industry.

Traditionally, doctors believe diabetes is manageable by medicine and lifestyle changes, but not curable. Over the past decade, start-up clinics and independent practitioners have begun offering “diabetes reversal programs,” largely relying on traditional knowledge, diet, exercise, and continuous monitoring. Many of these offerings include apps, subscription plans, and coaching to help patients reduce medication use. The programmes, according to experts, are taking valid medical concepts and promising a guaranteed outcome. Continuous glucose monitoring has helped identify foods that cause sugar spikes, enabling significant improvements through dietary and lifestyle changes. Experts note these results depend on ongoing changes.

Tips for diabetes management (ETV Bharat)

The problem, however, starts when the 'cures' are promised in a short span of time, like a month or two, or when people start offering herbal teas and magic pills for diabetes 'reversal'. In 2023, deepfake videos of prominent TV anchors promoting a 'diabetes medicine' went viral. This also led to a booming market of medical influencers and quacks. Diabetes reversal has turned into both, a medical claim and a marketing aspiration. The language is powerful, and so is the demand.

What Science Says

Diabetes being 'reversed' is not an unfounded idea, but it is often misunderstood. It is actually diabetes in remission. Research shows that Type 2 diabetes, especially in its early stages, can be significantly modified by intensive lifestyle intervention, dietary changes, and weight loss.

“In certain cases, we have seen that the medication is reduced or even stopped. When the medicine is stopped, that is what people call reversal,’’ says Delhi-based nutritionist Ishi Khosla, who has achieved these results with many of her patients. She adds that these changes can also help stop the progression of the disease.

There are some basic principles, which she says work: the dietary changes that are healing the gut, bringing down inflammation. and reducing insulin levels. “When you do the right things, results are sometimes pretty dramatic,” she says. However, a critical distinction that she fears gets blurred in public messaging and advertisements is that “the underlying metabolic dysfunction doesn’t disappear.” Remission means control, not elimination, of diabetes. “It is controlled. If a patient regains weight or stops the lifestyle changes, the diabetes usually returns," she adds. Ishi insists that medications can only be stopped or reduced after proper advice from a medical doctor treating the patient.

Interventions Also Have Limitations

Some clinical studies of these structured interventions show promising results, and some even report high rates of remission in certain populations, particularly among patients diagnosed early able to achieve significant weight loss. The caveats remain: early-stage diabetes, intensive, sustained efforts, and long-term maintenance remain uncertain. Standard care does lead to remission, but it doesn’t promise it.

Experts also warn that not all patients are candidates; the timeline matters greatly, and remission isn’t a cure. “Nothing works the same way for everyone. There are variations in weight loss and metabolic benefits depending on age, gender, hormones, the intensity of lifestyle changes, stress, alcohol, and smoking,” says Dr. Anoop Misra.

The New Industry

Ambiguity has worked in favour of the booming 'diabetes reversal' ecosystem. From AI-driven healthcare platforms to plant-based or phytopharma solutions and boutique nutrition clinics, the diabetes industry has expanded rapidly, mostly in urban India. The programmes include continuous glucose monitoring, personalised diet plans, and health coaching. Subscription-based apps are also becoming increasingly popular. Recently, a digital health startup promising to 'prevent, manage and reverse type two diabetes' raised $5.5 million in its first round of financing. An online app-based program can cost patients anything between ₹10,000 and ₹30,000 for 3-4 months.

Experts are wary that claims like 'reverse your diabetes in 30 days' mislead patients and increase unrealistic expectations. What is most worrying is that many of these quick-fix companies claim to have roots in traditional knowledge, such as Ayurveda.

“For centuries, human beings have lived and thrived on phytopharma, so there is no denying that traditional knowledge is helpful. But people often claim to take out one ingredient commercialise it, and claim huge successes,” said Atul Sharma, a healthcare consultant working in hospitals and the pharma industry for over four decades.

Despite the boom, regulations are a grey area. Unlike pharmaceuticals, these programs are not subject to strict clinical adherence. While Dr. Misra says regulation is “something that government needs to answer, Atul Sharma feels the lack of regulation elsewhere in the world is also leading to non-compliance in India. “Most companies claim high success rates without providing scientific data or peer-reviewed research, and use patient endorsements or testimonies as the proof of their success,” he adds. “To give a crude example, some people claim we had jeera (cumin seeds) and felt wonderful, which means nothing unless we know what dosage, what their underlying conditions, parameters were,” he added.

There is also a booming industry of social media influencers posing as doctors and offering advice on obesity and diabetes. A news report says 35 such individuals are under investigation in Telangana alone.

Technology Has Come In Handy

Technology has played a key role in scaling the industry. “Continuous glucose monitoring, once used only in clinical settings, is now available at home and is central to many of these programmes. Patients can track their blood sugar levels in real time and often relate them to changes in behaviour or specific foods,” says Sharma. Experts say the data is often overwhelming and can be difficult to navigate. “When a meal becomes a source of stress, you want to fix it, and the programmes seem alluring,” says Mita.

Chronic diseases also carry a heavy emotional burden as they require lifelong management. The quick-fix solutions offer a promise of hope. “You are telling the people you can undo a disease so they buy the hope,” says Sharma. However, setting realistic expectations is a main concern. “Patients cannot stop medication prematurely, believing they are cured,’’ warns Khosla. Dr. Misra says that while patients are initially more enthusiastic, it wanes later. “We encourage newly diagnosed patients with obesity and diabetes to shed about 15% of their weight to increase the possibility of remission. Enthusiasm is usually high at first, but it often wanes,” says Dr. Misra.

Success Stories And Failures

The concept of remission cannot be dismissed but requires hard work and consistency. Anuradha Kar, 65, a resident of Noida, has managed to go off her daily 100 units of insulin injections. “I am taking very mild doses of diabetes medicines now,” she says. Kar says she was off her insulin within six months of Ishi Khosla’s diet and lifestyle interventions, and she has consistently followed the advice for the last seven years. “It is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of strength. I am back with a spike if I eat the wrong food and take at least two months to get back,” she says. But there is a risk of overselling, as not all patients can achieve remission. Those who do achieve remission need ongoing monitoring.

While Kar managed her other associated health conditions like fatty liver and liver disease, Abdul Majid (name changed) wasn’t lucky enough. Even after years of a strict diet, exercise regimen, and even quitting smoking, he is unable to get off insulin. “Lifestyle changes have helped in stopping the progression into something worse, but I am still on insulin even though the dose is less,” he says.

The silver lining is that the growing diabetes burden has shifted the conversation around management and treatment holistically. The reversal programmes, if regulated, can shift people towards proactive management of the disease which is at the core of controlling lifestyle-related diseases. Meanwhile, Mita, in Delhi, who has also been put on a lower drug dose, is optimistic but cautious. “I don’t know if my disease is reversible, but a regulated diet and lifestyle changes are making me feel better,” she says.

Also read:

1. Inside India’s Diabetes Hotspots: Goa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala Have the Highest Rates
2. Exclusive Interview | Dr. V. Mohan: '30% People Aged 20 And Above Suffer From Diabetes'
3. Why Diabetes Hits Women Harder, Learn The Health Risks Beyond Blood Sugar
4. The Ayurvedic Way To Control Diabetes: Here's How Rigorous Studies Are Being Carried Out To Test, Apply Ayurveda To The Exploding Crisis