![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-31-6869238.jpg\" "\\"Dr")
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Dr Haq recommends making incremental increases to your daily step count (Image: Nuffield Health)<\/p>\n
More than 5.8 million people are living with diabetes<\/a> in the UK, and nine in 10 have type 2<\/a>. This type occurs when the hormone insulin does not work properly, or a patient\u2019s body does not produce enough of it, and it is usually linked to lifestyle factors. This means it can often be reversed by making changes that help to get blood sugar levels under control. There are many benefits of putting type 2 diabetes into remission, according to Dr Masud Haq, a consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital.<\/p>\n He told the Express: \u201cYou can reduce your chances of developing diabetes-related complications such as heart disease<\/a>, strokes and diabetes-related sight loss. Other benefits include lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight, and patients often report better energy levels and improved sleep<\/a>. This can have a positive impact on your general health and well-being.\u201d Here is Dr Haq\u2019s three-step guide to putting type 2 diabetes into remission.<\/p>\n Read more: Hospitals flooded as record numbers flock to A&E after deadly outbreak <\/a><\/p>\n 1. Weight loss is a key goal<\/p>\n Around 85% of people living with type 2 diabetes are carrying extra weight or living with obesity<\/a>, according to Diabetes UK. Dr Haq said: \u201cOne option is to enrol in an NHS<\/a> 12-month low-calorie weight management programme or, alternatively, follow a healthy diet with the primary goal of losing weight.<\/p>\n \u201cOptions include a low-calorie diet, a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet, intermittent fasting, a meal replacement programme or a Mediterranean diet.<\/p>\n \u201cWeight loss<\/a> surgery, often called bariatric surgery, is a treatment available for type 2 diabetes, and there is good evidence it can be effective at putting type 2 diabetes into remission.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeak to your GP if you need more information on any of the above.\u201d Maintaining a healthy weight has many other health benefits, including reducing your risk of conditions including heart attacks, strokes, cancer<\/a>, kidney disease and osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n 2. Regular exercise in conjunction with dietary changes<\/p>\n Being physically active increases glucose uptake by your muscles, improving insulin sensitivity.<\/p>\n It can also help to reduce blood pressure and improve cholesterol, which helps to protect against other health problems linked to diabetes such as heart disease. Dr Haq said: \u201cPhysical activity, when performed alongside a healthy diet, can help with putting diabetes into remission. Steps count!<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on where you\u2019re starting, try to make incremental increases slowly but regularly, for example, if you\u2019re walking 8,000 steps per day, increase it to 10,000 and try to exercise 30 minutes five days per week if possible.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be high-intensity or high-impact, but could include gardening, housework, a walk in the park, strength training or yoga.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardening and doing housework can contribute to physical activity (Image: Getty)3. Medication can help<\/p>\n Weight loss jabs<\/a> can help reduce appetite, making it easier to shift the pounds. Drugs such as Wegovy mimic the action of a gut hormone called GLP-1<\/a>, which is released after eating.<\/p>\n Dr Haq said: \u201cMedications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are often prescribed for people with type 2 diabetes. They also have a licence for weight loss.<\/p>\n These drugs are currently being studied to see if they can support people with type 2 diabetes to put them into remission and should be used while under the care of a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n \u201cPositive lifestyle changes \u2014 such as an increase in physical activity and focus on nutrition \u2014 will also help to reap the benefits of this medication.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr Haq recommends making incremental increases to your daily step count (Image: Nuffield Health) More than 5.8 million…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5573,186189,59,102,186191,15037,186188,56,54,55,4405,186190],"class_list":{"0":"post-539927","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-diabetes","9":"tag-dr-masud-haq","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-medication-for-diabetes","13":"tag-type-2-diabetes","14":"tag-type-2-diabetes-remission","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom","18":"tag-weight-loss","19":"tag-weight-loss-and-exercise"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Baby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/baby-boomer-woman-6869264.jpg\" "\\"Baby")
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