56 year-old teacher reveals the habit that helped him reverse type 2 diabetes

A sore throat was supposed to be just that, 56 year old Pedro Soto never thought that he will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, once the shock of it all settled, Soto made some simple changes that helped him reverse his diabetes in just 6 months. In his recent interview with the People magazine, the Manhattan school teacher reveals how he achieved such a feat.



Soto was immediately advised by his doctors to get on medications, the sure shot way to manage diabetes. But he decided to take matters into his own hand(read disclaimer at the end). He decided that instead of relying on the medicines, he will improve his lifestyle. This included taking up running twice a week, among other measures. And after 6 months the results spoke for itself. Soto told People, “My blood sugar level was normal, near prediabetic, but normal.”







While there is no permanent cure for diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes can reverse it by by lowering your A1C to a normal level. By managing blood sugar levels through diet and exercise, Soto claims that he was able to see positive results in the blood tests he did following his diagnosis.



However, he did not stop there. rather he signed up to participate in the TCS New York City Marathon in November 2025. As a part of TCS Teachers team, Soto prepared himself to train for the 26.2-mile race—not just for his own benefit, but for his students.



“If I’m in a better shape, that is gonna affect my students in a good way,” he shared with People. “If I’m sick and I’m missing classes, I’m tired if I don’t feel good, that is going to affect my instruction in the classroom, my relationship with the students, and eventually the quality of me as a teacher.”



Soto's students were part of a transfer program group who have not thrived in rural school systems.



The marathon training period came amid significant personal challenges. Shortly after being diagnosed with diabetes, Soto was also diagnosed with Lyme disease, while simultaneously coping with the loss of his father, who died around the same time. Because of these overlapping setbacks, he was unable to begin marathon training until early August.



But he pushed through. “It was running to face my feelings and thoughts and make peace with myself and with my father,” Soto said. “It was something that helped me a lot to process my loss.”



In the end, Soto managed to finish his marathon in 4 hours and 21 minutes, putting him in the top 36% of finishers in his age group. He said that more than his body, his will to complete came from his students.

Can running reverse diabetes? What research says

As mentioned earlier, there is no cure for type 2 diabetes. Thus even if you aren't taking medication and your blood sugar levels stay in a healthy range, there's always a chance that symptoms will return.



Having said that weight loss and diet has been found the best ways to manage your type 2 diabetes. Losing a few pounds will not only help manage diabetes but also help you live diabetes free, especially if you've only had the disease for a few years and haven't needed insulin.



The American Diabetes Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (like walking, cycling, or swimming) per week, along with two or more days of strength training (resistance exercises), for people with type 2 diabetes.



If running is too intense, a recent study published in Scientific Reports found that just a 10-minute walk immediately after eating significantly reduced blood glucose levels compared with sitting still. This light exercise didn’t need to be long or intense, but its timing (right after meals) helped muscles use glucose and keep blood sugar spikes lower.



Another large cohort study found that adults who engaged in leisure-time running had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with people who didn’t run. The study followed nearly 19,350 adults over many years and showed that more running (time, speed, frequency) was linked with progressively lower diabetes risk. This suggests regular running may help prevent diabetes, likely by improving cardiovascular fitness, lowering body fat, and enhancing insulin sensitivity.