SUFFERERS of type 2 diabetes can free themselves of the condition by losing weight and keeping it off, according to new research from a North-East university.

In a study conducted by Newcastle University, 30 people with type 2 diabetes stuck to a strict diet of 600 to 700 calories a day – three diet shakes and some vegetables, about a quarter of a man’s recommended daily calorie intake.

The volunteers, some of whom had had diabetes for 20 years or more, lost an average of 14kg, more than two stones, and kept it off for the next six months.

Of the 30, 12 who had had diabetes for less than ten years “reversed” their condition and six months later remained diabetes free. In fact, after six months a 13th patient had reversed their diabetes.

World-renowned Professor Roy Taylor, who led the study, said: “What we have shown is that it is possible to reverse your diabetes, even if you have had the condition for a long time, up to around ten years.

“If you have had the diagnosis for longer than that, then don’t give up hope – major improvement in blood sugar control is possible.

“The study also answered the question that people ask me – if I lose weight and keep the weight off, will I stay free of diabetes? The simple answer is yes.

“The bottom line is that if a person really wants to get rid of their type 2 diabetes, they can lose weight, keep it off and return to normal.”

The research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre and published in Diabetes Care, builds on an earlier study led by Prof Taylor in 2011, which showed diabetes could be reversed by a very low calorie diet but was conducted over just eight weeks.

A larger trial involving 280 patients has now begun, funded by Diabetes UK.

Type 2 diabetes is where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to unlock the energy in blood. It affects 3.5 million people in the UK and is more common in people who are over 40 or overweight.

Type 1 diabetes is where the pancreas produces no insulin. The Newcastle University study involved on type 2 sufferers only.

Allan Tutty, 57, from Sunderland, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011. He had his health transformed by taking part in the study, losing two-and-a-half stones and reversing his condition.

“With my diabetes in remission, I haven’t looked back. My life has changed completely thanks to this research,” he said.