A clinical trial published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas reports that an intensive diet-and-exercise program can reverse early-onset type 2 diabetes in young adults.

Researchers at McGill University recruited 96 adults aged 18 to 45, all living with obesity and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes no more than six years earlier.

For the first 12 weeks, the intervention group followed a very low energy diet of 800–900 kilocalories per day, beginning with two weeks of meal replacements, alongside two supervised weekly sessions of aerobic exercise and strength training plus one independent session.

By week 24, 27 of 50 participants (54%) had achieved remission, compared with just 2 of 46 receiving usual care.

Type 2 diabetes is rising fastest among younger people, and the young-onset form is often more severe than in older patients, with greater insulin resistance, faster decline in beta-cell function, and earlier, more serious complications.

Lead author Kaberi Dasgupta of McGill University told Medical News Today that complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and eye disease can arrive by middle age or earlier, during people's working and family lives.

According to ZME Science, the intervention group lost 7.5 kilograms more than the usual-care group, and all 14 participants who lost at least 10% of their starting weight achieved remission.

Scans showed less fat in the liver, pancreas and muscles, grip strength improved by 7.6%, and fitness relative to body weight improved by 10.3%.

But the program was demanding: only 40% met all adherence criteria, and Medical News Today reports that roughly 86% of the diet-and-exercise group experienced adverse effects such as constipation, headaches, dizziness and cold sensitivity, versus 13% of usual-care participants.

Independent experts cautioned the six-month study had no diet-only arm, so exercise's added benefit is unclear.

Because follow-up ended at six months, durability is the open question — though Dasgupta noted people can stay in remission for some time even after regaining weight.

ZME Science places the result in context: the earlier DiRECT trial achieved 46% remission at one year, and a Qatari trial in younger adults reported 61% at a year. Even participants who did not reach remission gained fitness and strength benefits, according to Medical News Today.