Diet and exercise can prevent diabetes for at least a decade, reducing the risk of the disease by a third in those who are susceptible to it, so recent research has discovered.
Type 2 diabetes is more so linked to a poor diet as well as a sedentary lifestyle. Seriously overweight adults have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke and type 2 diabetes .
This new research, which has been published in the Oct. 29 online edition of The Lancet, highlights that losing weight and exercising can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes more effectively than the prescription drug metformin or a placebo.
For those who are at high risk of developing diabetes, losing weight is certainly recommended and using a drug like metformin can benefit those who are unable to lose weight via dieting and exercise .
For this diabetes prevention study, 3,234 overweight or obese adults with elevated blood sugar levels were randomly given lifestyle changes or metformin to control their blood sugar, or a placebo.
After 10 years, 2,766 stayed in the trial, with those taking metformin experiencing an 18 percent drop in their rate of developing diabetes, in contrast to those on placebo.
Participants who made lifestyle changes, such as, cutting down calorie and fat intake and exercising for a minimum of 150 minutes a week, lowered their risk of getting diabetes by 34 percent in comparison with those on placebo.
In the first year alone, those in the lifestyle group lost around 15 pounds each, regaining about five pounds over 10 years. Those who were taking metformin maintained a five-pound weight loss, whereas, those on placebo lost less than two pounds over 10 years, the researchers uncovered.
Over a decade, upon all the participants making lifestyle changes, the annual diabetes incidence rates for the drug and placebo groups had fallen to about 5 to 6 percent, the same rate as the lifestyle group.
Lifestyle intervention is critical and reduced the diabetes incidence rate.
Diet and Exercise are Essential to Keep Diabetes At Bay
Thu, 29 Oct 2009
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