Diabetes is one of the biggest health issues facing the modern world, and researchers have long been stumped about how to reduce its impact on the population. According to a report from the New Zealand Herald, however, a recent study from researchers at Newcastle University in the U.K. may have found a way to permanently reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes – and it’s a lot simpler than you might think.

An eight-week diet focusing on intensive weight loss has been shown to have a significant effect on reversing the symptoms of diabetes. The study found that even people who had been suffering from the condition for more than a decade saw success after following the regimen over a 2-month period.

Six months after the diet had been completed, participants in the study were still diabetes-free. The study’s findings create a new paradigm for diabetes treatment, and could improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

Type 2 diabetes is a result of the body’s failure to produce sufficient amounts of insulin, which controls blood sugar, or the body’s failure to react to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is commonly linked to obesity and occurs most frequently in middle-aged adults. The condition can lead to heart attacks, loss of vision and even amputated limbs.

Researchers long believed that type 2 diabetes was incurable, but the recent study joins a growing body of research suggesting that rapid weight loss and healthy habits can reverse the disease. Underlying the evidence is a theory that removing large amounts of fat from the pancreas can bring insulin production back to normal levels.

According to the study’s lead author, Professor Roy Taylor of the University of Newcastle, “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.”

A press release from Newcastle University describing the details of the study can be found here.