Traditional Indian diet and daily walking help 61% of early diabetes patients achieve remission: study

A six-month intervention based on a traditional Indian diet and regular physical activity helped 60.9% of adults with early Type 2 diabetes achieve remission without medication, a study conducted by researchers in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has found.

Published in the international journal Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews in 2026, the study involved 87 adults who had been diagnosed with diabetes within the previous two years.

The intervention followed a Local Healthy Moderate Carbohydrate (LHMC) diet. It included familiar Indian foods such as multigrain chapatis, lentils, sprouts, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and fruits in measured portions. Participants were also advised to walk for 40 minutes and practise deep breathing exercises for 10 minutes daily.

At the end of six months, 53 participants achieved remission without glucose-lowering medication. Their average weight fell by 4.67 kg, while average HbA1c levels declined from 7.32% to 6.27%.

The study also found a strong association between physical activity and remission. Participants who followed the prescribed walking routine on at least 80% of days had 8.24 times higher adjusted odds of achieving remission than those with lower adherence.

Dr Vedavati Purandare, Consultant Diabetologist and Head of Clinical Services at Chellaram Hospital Diabetes Care and Multispecialty, told The Indian Express that participants did not need special foods, skipped meals or fasting windows.

Dr A G Unnikrishnan, CEO and Endocrinologist at the hospital, told The Indian Express the findings showed that early diabetes could be put into remission through dietary and lifestyle changes.

He added that larger controlled trials were needed to confirm the findings and advised patients to change their treatment only after consulting their doctors.