Remission of Type 2 Diabetes: A Challenge for Society and Health Care Professionals

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has become an important public health priority because of its rapidly increasing prevalence driven by an increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity. Given the primary role of obesity in the aetiology of T2DM, weight loss is considered by far the most essential means of controlling the disease. Indeed, growing evidence demonstrates that weight loss achieved either by bariatric surgery (BS) or very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) can lead to reversal of T2DM, at least in patients with short duration of disease. Indeed, a negative energy balance reduces fat content in the liver, in the pancreas as well as in skeletal muscle thus improving insulin action and insulin secretion; this translates into normalization of glucose control. These findings raised great interest regarding the feasibility and the implementation of these therapeutic options in clinical practice.