If you see social media posts or comments in online chat forums claiming that diabetes is reversible, it’s important to know that those claims are only true for some types of diabetes. While prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are reversible under certain conditions, type 1 diabetes is not.

“Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. We will always have it, we did nothing to cause it, and we can’t reverse it,” said one myT1Dteam member.

While you may not be able to reverse type 1 diabetes, medications, lifestyle changes, and mental health support can help you manage this chronic condition so you can live life to the fullest. Keep reading to learn more about type 1 diabetes, how some people manage to reverse type 2 diabetes, and what new diabetes treatments are available.

Type 1 Diabetes and the Pancreas

Type 1 diabetes develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. These cells are called beta cells. Without them, your pancreas can’t make insulin, a hormone we all need to survive.

Insulin helps control blood glucose (sugar) levels by ensuring your glucose can be used to produce or store energy. When you don’t have enough insulin, blood sugar backs up in your bloodstream. This can lead to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) — and, eventually, type 1 diabetes symptoms. These may include frequent urination, weight loss, excessive hunger, and fatigue. Left untreated, type 1 diabetes can cause serious complications like heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and eye problems. It can also cause a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. Fortunately, type 1 diabetes is very treatable for most people.

Experts are still trying to figure out what causes type 1 diabetes. Organizations like the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are committed to finding a cure. In the meantime, your health care provider can help you control your blood sugar levels. This is done with tools like insulin injections, an insulin pump, carbohydrate counting, a glucose monitor, and other diabetes care.

If you have questions about type 1 diabetes management for yourself or your child, talk to your health care provider or an endocrinologist who treats diabetes.

Why Type 2 Diabetes Can Sometimes Be Reversed

Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are both forms of diabetes mellitus. They both lead to high blood glucose levels. And they both develop when the pancreas loses its insulin-producing function. But they are not the same disease.

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys beta cells, so there are not enough to produce insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells are not destroyed — some experts believe they wear out.

People with type 2 diabetes experience insulin resistance, meaning their cells don’t respond well to insulin. When their bodies try to compensate by producing more insulin, this can lead to chronic high blood sugar levels and beta cells working overtime.

While type 2 diabetes can wear out beta cells, research has shown that the damage might not be permanent, especially in early stages of the disease. According to Cleveland Clinic, type 2 diabetes is affected by factors, such as being diagnosed with obesity or overweight and having low physical activity levels. These risk factors can put metabolic stress on the cells. Studies have shown that removing those factors through weight loss, dietary changes, and exercise can help restore beta cells to their normal insulin-producing function.

While experts don’t consider type 2 diabetes curable, some people can reverse the condition and go into remission, a period where they don’t need medication to manage it. Because type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, those same lifestyle changes cannot reverse it.

New Type 1 Diabetes Treatments

Diabetes treatments continue to evolve. Recent advances include a cellular therapy that can help people produce insulin and an automatic insulin pump that can determine how much insulin the body needs and then deliver it.

Lantrida

One challenge with managing type 1 diabetes is ensuring your body has enough insulin to prevent high blood sugar without causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a diabetes treatment called donislecel (Lantrida) to help people who have trouble balancing their blood sugar.

Donislecel is an allogeneic pancreatic islet cellular therapy. “Cellular therapy” means it uses human cells to replace or repair damaged cells. “Allogeneic” means the cells come from a donor. Pancreatic islet beta cells are the cells infused during the procedure, called pancreatic islet transplantation.

In two clinical trials, most people with type 1 diabetes who got donislecel infusions produced enough insulin that they didn’t need synthetic insulin for one to five years. Adverse reactions included fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain. As of July 2024, the treatment is approved only for adults.

Automatic Insulin Delivery

If you or your child are insulin-dependent, you’re probably familiar with the blood tests needed to monitor glucose levels and the syringes, pens, and pumps used for insulin therapy. In 2023, the FDA approved an automated insulin pump called the Beta Bionics iLet ACE Pump, which could make life easier for people with type 1 diabetes.

The iLet ACE Pump uses an algorithm to calculate how much insulin someone needs and deliver the correct dose. It can pair with an integrated continuous glucose monitor for additional support and information. The high-tech pump is approved for people with type 1 diabetes who are 6 years old and up.

As experts and nonprofit organizations continue working toward a cure for type 1 diabetes, they are improving diabetes treatments along the way. If you have questions about these or other recent advances in diabetes care, talk to your health care provider or an endocrinologist. They are your best source of information along this journey.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On myT1Dteam, the social network for people living with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones, more than 3,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with those who understand life with type 1 diabetes.

Are you or your child living with type 1 diabetes? Share your experience in a comment below, or start a conversation on your Activities page.