British researchers have good news for people with type 2 diabetes -- you don't need to lose a ton of weight to make a difference in your health.

In fact, they found that losing just 10% of your body weight during the first five years you have the disease can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes. That weight loss would be 18 pounds for someone who weighs 180 pounds.

It doesn't matter what diet helps you lose the weight. And it doesn't matter how slow or how quickly those pounds come off, the investigators found.

"Even small amounts of weight loss can help you achieve remission. Extreme dieting and exercising are not necessary," said study author Dr. Hajira Dambha-Miller, a general practice physician and clinical lecturer at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, in the United Kingdom.

"Type 2 diabetes should no longer be seen as a lifelong disease," she added. The disease can essentially be cured if you lose weight and keep it off, according to Dambha-Miller.

The researchers said that type 2 diabetes affects 400 million people around the world. It's typically considered a chronic, progressive disease. But significant weight loss through extreme dieting (less than 700 calories a day) can bring about remission in almost 90% of people with type 2 diabetes, the study authors noted. Weight-loss surgery also tends to bring on remission.

Intensive exercise coupled with a modest weight loss of 7% or less of body weight brought on remission in almost 12% of people in one study, according to the new report.

But maybe bringing on remission didn't need to be so hard, the researchers surmised.

"The existing evidence for achieving remission suggests extreme levels of exercise and rather restrictive diets. This is simply not realistic or achievable for my patients, especially in the longer term," Dambha-Miller said.

"It is also demotivating for my patients when they are unable to achieve large amounts of weight loss. Accordingly, we decided to look at modest weight loss over a longer period in a real-world population without any crazy diet or exercise requirements," she explained.

What do you consider when you hear the word "inactive?" Maybe a huge rock, an old rusted out tractor in a field, or maybe a sloth? Things that sit around a lot and do not move.

The body, on the other hand, is constructed to move. We have hundreds of muscles and bones, connected by joints and ligaments, fed by veins and arteries. All of our organ systems have actually evolved for us to move, and when we do not, there can be dire effects. The concept of excessive relaxing causing unfavorable health results was very first proposed as early as the 17th century, but actually began to gain traction in the last 20 years when the increasing weight problems epidemic resulted in a surge of research study.

There are 2 parts to the inactive lifestyle that's plaguing contemporary life. First, we invest excessive time lying or sitting down with minimal energy expenditure. Consider all the sitting we do at work, school, while driving or travelling, in the house, and in social settings. More screen time also results in more sitting caused by an explosion of video streaming, surfing the web, video games, and phone and tablet use. Usually, American working grownups spend 7.7 waking hours simply sitting around. The number goes up to 8.5 hours for older, retired adults.

Second, we don't work out enough. The World Health Organization advises a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week-- an example would be 20-30 minutes of brisk walking or cycling each day. In addition, we should do muscle-strengthening exercises (e.g. weight lifting) at least two times a week. Approximately half of Americans satisfy this minimum physical activity suggestion, and less than one-third do both muscle-strengthening and aerobic. Paradoxically, being physically active does not always avoid inactive behavior. This is a phenomenon described as being an "active couch potato." Picture somebody who starts their day with a five-mile run, however then invests the whole work day desk-bound and watches TELEVISION in the evening.

What are the dangers? A sedentary lifestyle results in many possible harms, including approximately a 30% boost in the danger of death, which is roughly equivalent to the danger of death connected with being a previous (but not as much as being a present) smoker. A stationary individual is most likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, and osteoporosis. Kids who are sedentary tend to have low self-confidence and below-average academic accomplishment. A non-active individual likewise spends $1,437 more each year in health care compared with a physically go-getter. Completely, a sedentary way of life represent $117 billion of healthcare expenses in America every year. That's a tremendous 11% of all American healthcare expenses!