Healthy Diet and Exercise Can Cut Diabetes Risk In Half

New studies show that changes in lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, can potentially reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes in half

By Dena Afrasiabi

Each day, more than 4,000 adults are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition which can potentially lead to health complications and take years off your life. But a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in preventing Type 2 Diabetes, and it doesn't take much. A newly published study found that losing only a few pounds, and keeping them off in the long-term, prevents Type 2 Diabetes twice as effectively as taking medication. The study involved nearly 3,000 overweight adults at high risk for Type 2 diabetes and followed the participants for ten years.

One group was asked eat a diet low in fat and exercise 30 minutes a day at least 5 times a week with the goal of losing 7% of their bodyweight in a year, and another group was put on metformin, a medication used to treat diabetes. The first group, the group that used diet and exercise, reduced their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58% in a three year trial, while the group that used metformin reduced their risk by 34%. While many of the participants gained back some of the weight they lost, their risk for diabetes overall was still reduced by 34% over a ten year period. Meanwhile, the group that used metformin without a lifestyle change reduced their risk by 34% in the three year trial and 18% in the ten year trial. According to the studies, a change in lifestyle habits can delay Type 2 Diabetes by at least ten years and in many cases even prevent it.

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