It looks like diet and exercise may be the answer for millions of people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services early this month revealed that the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a randomized trial of over 3,000 patients with impaired glucose tolerance (a precursor to diabetes), demonstrated such major findings, it ended a year early. The study found that patients randomized to the intensive lifestyle intervention, which included reducing weight through a low-fat diet and exercise, lowered their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% compared to a reduction of 31% for those in the drug treatment study arm, who received metformin, a medication that helps to reduce levels of blood glucose.

With modest changes in lifestyle, such as walking for 30 minutes a day and lowering fat intake, people were able to ward off the degenerative disease, which has serious health consequences, including kidney failure, limb amputations, and blindness as well as heart attack and stroke. By achieving the study goal of a 5% to 7% reduction in body weight, only 14% of the patients on the diet and exercise intervention developed diabetes during the three-year follow-up period compared to 29% of patients on placebo (no intervention) and 22% on metformin.

Researchers still don’t know how much longer beyond the three years studied this type of intervention can keep diabetes at bay for those at high risk for the disease. However, they hope to continue to monitor the study population to find out.

Sources
HHS News: Diet and Exercise Dramatically Delay Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Medication Metformin Also Effective. Monday, August 6, 2001.

CNN.com: Diet, exercise can slash diabetes risk. August 8, 2001.