For many people living with type 2 diabetes, the idea of remission, where blood glucose levels return to a range that doesn’t indicate diabetes without the need for glucose-lowering medication, can sound like a dream come true. In recent years, research has suggested that remission is possible for some individuals, especially with early intervention and lifestyle changes. However, it’s important to approach this concept with caution, realism and, above all, a commitment to long-term sustainable health, not just short-term results.
What is diabetes remission?
Diabetes Australia’s Type 2 diabetes remission position statement defines remission as maintaining blood glucose levels below an HbA1c of 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) for at least six months, without glucose-lowering medication. Diabetes remission is not a cure, diabetes can return, but it does represent a state of improved metabolic health.
Some people achieve remission through significant weight loss, often after bariatric surgery or very low-calorie diets. Others may reach remission through gradual, sustainable changes in diet and activity, especially in the earlier stages of the condition. However, not everyone will achieve remission, and that’s okay. Managing blood glucose and preventing complications remain worthwhile and meaningful goals.
While the potential for remission is promising, not all researchers agree that it should be a primary or universal goal. A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology—Type 2 Diabetes Remission: A Critique of Current Definitions and Frameworks raises important questions about the consistency and sustainability of remission claims. The study highlights that there are nearly 100 different definitions of remission used in scientific literature, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about how many people truly achieve it, or for how long.
The authors argue that focusing too narrowly on remission may overlook the chronic, often progressive nature of type 2 diabetes and create unrealistic expectations. In some cases, patients may feel like they’ve failed if remission isn’t achieved, despite making significant health improvements. The study also notes that most people who achieve remission do so through substantial weight loss, often 10–15kg or more. This may not be attainable or maintainable for everyone, particularly older adults or those with barriers to physical activity.
Instead, experts suggest that emphasising improvements in quality of life, reducing complications, and supporting individualised, sustainable changes may be more appropriate than chasing remission as an all-or-nothing goal.
At the heart of this journey is food, not restrictive, joyless eating, but balanced, varied, and nourishing meals that support both metabolic health and quality of life. Rather than eliminating entire food groups, many experts now encourage a more inclusive approach, drawing on the strengths of all five food groups in a sustainable way.
Food choices play a central role in diabetes management and potential remission. But there’s no single diabetes diet. Rather, flexibility, variety, and a focus on whole, minimally processed foods tends to lead to better long-term outcomes.
It’s important to frame remission as one potential outcome, not the only marker of success. Many people living with type 2 diabetes never reach remission but still dramatically improve their health through better eating, more movement, and consistent care.
There is also growing recognition that metabolic health involves more than glucose levels. Lipid levels, blood pressure, inflammation, sleep, mental wellbeing, and weight all contribute to overall health and diabetes outcomes. Improvements in any of these areas, regardless of whether full remission is achieved, can enhance quality of life and reduce the risk of complications.
Healthcare professionals now emphasise a whole-person approach, where goals are individualised and progress is measured in many ways, not just by the numbers on a lab report.
While the idea of remission is motivating for some, it’s critical to remember that managing blood glucose within target ranges is the cornerstone of long-term diabetes care and often a far more realistic and sustainable goal than remission.
Keeping blood glucose levels in target reduces the risk of both short- and long-term complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, vision loss, nerve damage, and more. These complications typically result from years of elevated blood glucose levels. That’s why steady, ongoing management even without the label of “remission” is so valuable.
One of the encouraging truths about type 2 diabetes is that every bit of improvement counts. Research shows that for every 1% reduction in HbA1c, the risk of major diabetes-related complications drops significantly, by as much as 21% for diabetes-related deaths, 14% for heart attacks, and 37% for microvascular complications. This means that even if your HbA1c moves from 8.5% to 7.5%, you’re making a real difference in your long-term health.
Blood glucose targets aren’t the same for everyone. Factors like age, other medical conditions, medications, and risk of hypoglycaemia all influence what’s realistic and safe. A younger person newly diagnosed may aim for tighter management, while an older adult may need more flexible targets to prevent hypoglycaemia.
Working with your a credentialled diabetes educator to set a personalised target, and then focusing on staying within that range, can empower you to improve your health without feeling pressured to achieve perfection.
Unlike remission, which may require significant and sometimes unsustainable interventions, managing blood glucose day-to-day is a learnable skill. Over time, understanding how food, movement, stress, and sleep affect your body can increase confidence and reduce diabetes-related distress.
Whether remission is your goal or not, adopting a more balanced, nourishing approach to eating benefits everyone. The aim isn’t perfection, but progress, eating a little better, moving a bit more, and showing compassion to yourself along the way.
For some, remission may be achievable. For others, stable and consistent management is the most realistic and sustainable path, and is just as valuable. The emphasis should always be that remission is never the only “successful” outcome.
The most important goal is living well, with a lifestyle that supports physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. With the right support, education, and care, every person with diabetes can make meaningful progress toward better health.
By Robbie Tyson, Credentialled Diabetes Educator and Accredited Practising Dietitian
