Remission of type 2 diabetes can be achieved through modest weight loss alone if patients are supported to do it in the first few years after diagnosis, a UK study suggests.

Drawing on data from 867 patients who were not on diabetes medication at baseline, researchers investigated the link between weight change and the likelihood of remission at five-year follow-up.

Over that period, 30% of the cohort (mean age, 61) achieved diabetes remission, which was defined as an HbA1c level of 6.5% in the absence of medication or bariatric surgery.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, found that compared with patients who either maintained or lost only a small amount of bodyweight, those who reduced it by 10% or more in the first five years after diagnosis had double the chances of remission.