If diabetes runs in your family, you may find yourself preparing for the worst-case scenario of a diabetes diagnosis.
But what happens if you are indeed diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes? Is there any chance of going back to your previous diabetes-free life?
Unfortunately, the answer is not so simple.
Type 1 Diabetes
Most experts agree that there is no cure for type 1 diabetes — it’s not reversible.
People with type 1 diabetes will need to receive insulin injections in order to live a healthy life, since the pancreas is unable to produce the necessary amount of insulin, said Dr. Lipi Roy, an internal medicine physician at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no current way to prevent type 1 diabetes, and only about 5 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults are type 1.
However, regular exercise and healthy eating can help people manage type 1 diabetes, along with receiving insulin injections, the CDC states.
Type 1 diabetes is actually considered to be an autoimmune disease, since antibodies attack the pancreas and prevent insulin production, said Dr. Romy Block, an endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
“Insulin is used like a key to unlock your cells,” Block said. “Sugar then goes inside and your body produces energy.”
Type 2 Diabetes
Whether type 2 diabetes can be cured or not is up for interpretation by several experts, although the CDC states that they’re still looking for an actual cure for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The Mayo Clinic also states that although type 2 diabetes doesn’t have a cure, it can be managed with or without medication and/or insulin.
However, Roy states that patients who switch to healthy lifestyle choices can actually reverse type 2 diabetes.
She said that eating healthy (lean protein, vegetables and nutritious low-carb foods) and exercising regularly can reverse type 2 diabetes, since weight loss is the primary factor in reversal.Read more in Diabetes Health Center