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Yes—but under tightly supervised trial conditions. In the 24-week RESET for Remission study, an 800–900-calorie meal-replacement diet paired with structured aerobic and resistance exercise produced diabetes remission for about half of younger adults with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes. The result meets a specific clinical definition of remission; it is not proof of a permanent cure or a do-it-yourself diet plan.
What the RESET for Remission trial found
RESET for Remission was a randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint efficacy trial conducted at three centres in England and Canada. It enrolled 96 adults aged 18 to 45 who had early-onset type 2 diabetes, obesity and were not using insulin. Participants were assigned to the intensive diet-and-exercise program or usual care and were assessed for 24 weeks. The NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre reported that 86 participants, or 90% of those randomized, attended the final assessments.
| Measure at 24 weeks | Diet-and-exercise program | Usual care | What the result means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes remission | 27 of 50 participants (54%) | 2 of 46 participants (4%) | The adjusted analysis found participants in the intervention were 21 times more likely to meet the remission definition. |
| Average body-weight change | 8.4 kg lost from baseline | 1.2 kg lost | The adjusted between-group difference was 7.5 kg. |
| Fat-mass change | 6.6 kg more fat-mass loss than usual care | Not stated in the trial report | The difference was not explained simply by loss of muscle. |
| Muscle and physical function | MRI indicated muscle mass was preserved; strength, cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle quality improved | Not stated in the trial report | The program targeted resistance training during rapid weight loss. |
| Adverse events | 43 of 50 participants reported at least one | 6 of 46 participants reported at least one | No severe adverse events were reported; most problems were temporary symptoms early in the low-energy diet. |
The University of Leicester also reported a positive change in heart structure, although the published summary does not provide a numerical effect size for that finding.
What participants actually did
Weeks 1 and 2: complete meal replacement
The intervention supplied 800–900 kilocalories per day through total meal replacement for the first two weeks. Optifast products were used in the United Kingdom and ProtiDiet products in Canada. This was a study protocol delivered with clinical oversight, not an instruction to substitute any supermarket shake for regular meals.
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Weeks 3 to 12: meal replacements plus one food meal
For the next 10 weeks, participants continued meal replacements but ate one food-based meal each day. The low-energy diet was paired with exercise rather than used as a stand-alone fast.
Exercise during the intensive phase
During weeks 1 through 12, participants completed two supervised sessions each week combining aerobic and resistance exercise, plus one independently completed session. The resistance component was intended to protect muscle while weight was falling quickly.
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Weeks 13 to 24: weight maintenance
After the intensive 12-week phase, participants moved to a weight-maintenance diet and continued independent exercise through week 24. This maintenance stage matters because remission depends on more than reaching a low calorie intake briefly; keeping weight off is a central challenge after low-energy diets.
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How the study defined remission
Remission did not mean that diabetes had been permanently eliminated. At the 24-week assessment, a participant had to have an HbA1c below 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and be free of glucose-lowering medication for at least 12 weeks. HbA1c reflects average blood-glucose exposure over time, so the definition required both improved laboratory results and a sustained medication-free period.
A person can meet that definition and later experience rising blood glucose, especially if weight is regained. The study reports emphasize that weight regain commonly follows low-energy diets, and longer-term studies are still needed to establish how durable this remission is outside a research program.
Safety and medication warnings
No severe adverse events were reported, but side effects were much more common in the intervention group: 43 of 50 participants reported at least one adverse event, compared with 6 of 46 in usual care. The problems were mainly constipation, headache, dizziness and fatigue during the early low-energy phase, and they resolved.
Participants stopped glucose-lowering and blood-pressure-lowering medicines when the diet began, according to the study protocol. That step should not be copied without a diabetes clinician. Rapid changes in food intake, weight and exercise can alter blood-glucose and blood-pressure requirements, so medication adjustments need an individualized plan and monitoring.
Who these results apply to—and who should be cautious
The findings are most directly relevant to adults aged 18–45 who have early-onset type 2 diabetes, obesity and are not using insulin. They cannot automatically be extended to older adults, people without obesity, people using insulin or people with type 1, gestational or other forms of diabetes. The trial was also small, with 96 randomized participants, and lasted only 24 weeks.
The study therefore shows that a combined program can be feasible and effective for a defined group under supervision. It does not establish that the same calorie level, meal products or exercise schedule is safe or effective for every person with diabetes.
What to do if you are considering a similar program
- Start with your diabetes team. Review your diagnosis, current medicines and whether a rapid-loss program is medically appropriate before changing calories or exercise.
- Do not stop medicines on your own. The trial’s medication changes were supervised protocol steps, not general advice.
- Plan resistance as well as aerobic exercise. The study combined both types and used supervision during the most restrictive diet phase.
- Include a maintenance phase from the beginning. The trial changed to a weight-maintenance diet after week 12 because maintaining loss is part of the remission challenge.
- Use the right expectation. Remission means meeting the HbA1c and medication-free criteria at a specified assessment; it does not guarantee lifelong freedom from diabetes.
“Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of combining structured aerobic and resistance exercise with a low energy diet in early onset type 2 diabetes,” Tom Yates and colleagues said in comments quoted by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre and University of Leicester.
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