Chinese Medical Team Achieves Functional Remission in 30 Type 1 Diabetes Patients Through Integrative Medicine Approach
核心洞察
A Chinese medical team led by Dr. An Chiying at Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital (搜索) has successfully enabled 30 type 1 diabetes (搜索) patients to completely discontinue lifelong insulin therapy through an innovative integrative medicine approach.
The treatment strategy combines immune blockade, β-cell redifferentiation, and multisystem restoration, representing the largest reported clinical dataset worldwide demonstrating functional remission in type 1 diabetes (搜索).
Key findings revealed that approximately 90% of type 1 diabetes (搜索) patients exhibit increased intestinal permeability, leading to implementation of a structured "5R Gut Repair and Reconstruction Protocol" to restore immune homeostasis.
A groundbreaking clinical achievement in type 1 diabetes (搜索) treatment has emerged from China, where a medical team led by Dr. An Chiying at Shenzhen Hengsheng Hospital (搜索) has successfully enabled 30 patients to achieve functional remission and completely discontinue lifelong insulin therapy. This represents the largest reported clinical dataset worldwide demonstrating functional remission in type 1 diabetes, marking a significant departure from conventional treatment paradigms.
Revolutionary Treatment Approach
Dr. An Chiying's team developed an integrative strategy that fundamentally challenges the traditional model of single-modality insulin replacement therapy. The approach centers on three core components: immune blockade, β-cell redifferentiation, and multisystem restoration. This comprehensive treatment model integrates multidisciplinary expertise from endocrinology and metabolic medicine, immunology, orthomolecular medicine, functional medicine, lifestyle medicine, and evidence-based Traditional Chinese medical techniques.
The treatment protocol focuses on precisely identifying and intervening in the dual pathogenic mechanisms of type 1 diabetes (搜索): autoimmune destruction (搜索) of pancreatic β-cells (搜索) and dysregulated glucose metabolism. Unlike stem-cell-based regenerative islet transplantation therapies currently under clinical investigation worldwide, this integrative therapy concentrates on interrupting autoimmune attack against pancreatic β-cells to achieve functional remission.
Key Mechanistic Discovery
A crucial mechanistic finding emerged from functional medicine mass spectrometry analysis, revealing that approximately 90% of patients with type 1 diabetes (搜索) exhibited increased intestinal permeability, commonly known as "leaky gut," as indicated by positive serum zonulin (搜索) levels. This discovery led the team to implement a structured "5R Gut Repair and Reconstruction Protocol" - Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, and Rebalance - to restore immune homeostasis and block autoimmune β-cell destruction.
Once immune attack was effectively interrupted, metabolic interventions were applied to promote β-cell redifferentiation and activate residual islet cell function, ultimately restoring endogenous, physiological glycemic regulation.
Clinical Outcomes and Patient Success Stories
As of March 2026, the team has assisted 30 patients in completely discontinuing insulin therapy, with substantial improvements in quality of life. These individuals achieved what is medically defined as a functional cure - maintenance of normal glucose metabolism without exogenous insulin.
Among the notable cases, an 11-year-old patient who previously required four daily insulin injections has discontinued insulin for 21 months following integrative therapy. Fasting glucose, postprandial glucose, HbA1c, and growth parameters are all within normal ranges, and fasting C-peptide levels have recovered to near-normal values.
Another pediatric success involves a 10-year-old patient who has been free from exogenous insulin for 15 months. Before treatment, he required multiple daily injections and lived with constant fear of glycemic instability. Today, his fasting glucose, postprandial glucose, and HbA1c remain consistently within normal ranges, and he has resumed eating staple carbohydrates.
International Patient Success
In December 2025, Santi, a 53-year-old patient from Spain with a 43-year history of type 1 diabetes (搜索), sought treatment after entering a brittle diabetes phase. Prior to intervention, he required four injections per day totaling 50 units, with blood glucose levels described as being on the verge of collapse.
After traveling twice from Europe to Shenzhen for treatment, Santi experienced remarkable improvements: his insulin regimen was reduced to once weekly, average daily insulin dosage decreased to 25 units (50% reduction), IDAA1c reached target levels, and he showed significant improvement in energy, physical stamina, and diabetic nephropathy (搜索) indicators.
"My pancreatic β-cell function had long been considered exhausted. I did not expect to discontinue insulin entirely," Santi stated in an interview. "After treatment with the Chinese integrative medical team, I reduced from four injections per day to one per week. My insulin dosage was cut in half, my energy and strength improved markedly, and several complication indicators have improved. For the first time in decades, I feel freed from the heavy burden of Type 1 diabetes (搜索) complications."
Comprehensive Treatment Results
The statistics from Dr. An Chiying's team showed that among 100 patients who underwent intervention, 30 patients successfully discontinued insulin (those with fasting C-peptide value > 0.5ng/ml before intervention). The remaining 70 patients (with fasting C-peptide value < 0.5ng/ml before intervention) experienced an average insulin dosage decrease of 40%, 85% improvement in IDAA1c target attainment, increased TIR values, decreased CV values, negative disfibronectin results, greatly improved quality of life, and significantly reduced risk of complications.
Treatment Precision and Sustainability
Professor An emphasized that therapeutic success depends on precise identification of the optimal treatment window. Through zonulin (搜索) testing and comprehensive biomarker monitoring, the team distinguishes transient "honeymoon phase" remission from durable functional cure, ensuring long-term sustainability of outcomes. She noted that the integrative model moves beyond single-drug dependency, rebuilding patients' health foundations through gut repair, immune modulation, and metabolic reconstruction.
Industry Recognition and Future Implications
This breakthrough has attracted significant attention within the global endocrinology community. At the China Social Healthcare New Ecosystem Conference held in December 2025, the 30 cases of functional remission presented by Dr. An Chiying's team were regarded by attending endocrinology experts as the largest clinical dataset of functional remission in type 1 diabetes (搜索) reported at that time.
Experts noted that this work may signal a meaningful shift in the therapeutic paradigm for type 1 diabetes (搜索)—from a model centered primarily on passive insulin replacement toward strategies emphasizing immune modulation and functional restoration of metabolic regulation. This Chinese clinical pathway not only reframes the global dialogue surrounding diabetes and quality of life, but also rekindles hope in the ongoing effort to confront this century-old disease.