Health Information

Lifestyle Changes Produce Lasting
Benefit Against Diabetes
In important news for the estimated 57 million Americans with high blood-sugar levels that put them at risk for diabetes, a long-term followup on the Diabetes Prevention Program trial finds that lifestyle changes can result in lasting reductions in diabetes risk. Reducing dietary fat, exercising about 30 minutes daily and losing 5% to 7% of body weight proved more effective than a drug, metformin, at preventing diabetes among 3,234 at-risk participants in the original trial. Results were so much better for lifestyle changes than metformin or placebo, in fact, that the study was stopped early after 3 years, and all participants were offered help with diet and exercise. Apparently that worked: Annual diabetes incidence in all three groups was roughly the same over the next 7 years. The 3-year head start on lifestyle changes paid off after a total of 10 years, however, as that original group remained 34% less likely to develop diabetes over the decade than the placebo group. The original metformin group showed an 18% reduced risk. - The Lancet
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