Tribute to the life of Dr Sarah Hallberg

It’s with great sadness that we’ve received the news of the passing of Dr Sarah Hallberg this week from aggressive lung cancer. Our thoughts are with her family and close friends at this time.

Even though she didn’t fit the generally expected profile of someone at risk of developing lung cancer, having never been a smoker, she was diagnosed in 2018 at the age of 46. She’s been very open about her diagnosis, living with terminal cancer through the coronavirus crisis with all its challenges. As a side note, in the knowledge that her condition made her extremely susceptible to severe covid-19 disease and that she would succumb to lung cancer sooner or later, she advocated in support of covid-19 vaccines.

Dr Hallberg will be remembered for her outstanding and inspirational work in helping people regain their health by reversing type 2 diabetes (T2D). She was the primary investigator for the largest and longest ever clinical trial examining a non-surgical intervention for the reversal of type 2 diabetes. She first burst into people’s awareness following her ground-breaking 2018 TED Talk ‘Reversing Type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines‘. She subsequently went on on to become a leading and inspirational voice in the efforts to improve the life of those living with diabetes, and other metabolic diseases, specialising in the use of very-low carbohydrate diets.

As an international-acclaimed expert clinician in the metabolic control of type 2 diabetes, she became Medical Director of Virta Health, which claims to offer the first clinically proven treatment to safely reverse type 2 diabetes without the need for medications or surgery.

Despite her illness, she worked tirelessly to help people regain their health and held many key positions, all dedicated to the pursuit of health.

• Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovator Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network
• Medical Director and founder of the Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program at Indiana University Health Arnett
• Adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine
• Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council for The Nutrition Coalition
• Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Obesity Medicine, and The American Board of Clinical Lipidology
• Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association and The National Lipid Association.

Nina Teicholz, from the Nutrition Coalition, announced in a email that a non-profit group will be set up to continue Dr Hallberg’s work to educate healthcare professionals and the general public about the very real possibility of reversing a diagnosis of T2D. Initially, we can expect a lecture course using her videos. This will be followed by an occasional podcast series on the latest research on reversing type 2 diabetes. A GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone wishing to support this initiative by making a donation.

Sarah Hallberg will be greatly missed, both personally and professionally, but like any great scientist her work will live on, continuing to help thousands more people to beat the ravages of modern day living – naturally!

Godspeed Sarah, with our deepest thanks for all you’ve gifted the world.