Diet and exercise help prevent, control diabetes, studies find
Researchers have been looking at the ways lifestyle affects Type 2 diabetes. Here’s what they’ve found:
What: In 2002, the National Institutes of Health published results from the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program study in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, 3,234 overweight people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes were split into three groups to test whether lifestyle changes or the drug metformin could prevent the onset of diabetes.
• Group 1 received extensive training in diet and exercise, with goals of exercising 150 minutes per week and losing and keeping off 7% of their body weight.
• Group 2 received 850 milligrams of the diabetes drug metformin twice a day.
• Group 3 received placebo pills.
Findings:
• Moderate weight loss and regular exercise could prevent Type 2 diabetes.
• Those in Group 1 reduced their risk by 58%; members of this group who were 60 and older reduced their risk by 71%.
•Lifestyle intervention worked equally well across all ethnicities and both genders.
•Those in Group 2 reduced their risk by 31%; metformin was less effective at preventing diabetes in people older than 45.
What: In 2010, the four-year results from the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) study were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The ongoing study is following 5,145 people for more than 10 years who were overweight or obese with Type 2 diabetes. They were split into two groups to test whether lifestyle changes can improve diabetes control and lower the incidence of major cardiovascular events, such as stroke and heart attack.
• Group 1 receives intensive lifestyle intervention, coaching and education on diet and exercise, and frequent follow-up calls and appointments.
• Group 2 receives standard diabetes support and education.
Findings:
• Members of Group 1 had lost an average of 6% of their body weight.
• Members of Group 2 had lost an average of less than 1% of their body weight.
• Group 1 participants had better improvements in their treadmill fitness, blood sugar control, blood pressure and “good” cholesterol levels. Whether these improvements will translate into fewer strokes and heart attacks remains to be seen.
What: In 2005, researchers published findings based on a review of more than 4,800 people in the National Weight Control Registry who lost weight successfully.
Findings:
• 90% used both diet and exercise to lose weight.
• High levels of physical activity are critical for maintaining weight loss — the average of the registry participants is one hour of exercise per day, seven days a week.
• 80% eat breakfast every day.
• They generally follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
• Most are vigilant about writing down what they eat and weighing themselves.
• The majority of these people failed at weight loss many times before they were finally successful.
—Kendall Powell
