New Find: Diabetes can be prevented by organised diet and exercise programs

With nine percent of Americans already afflicted with type 2 diabetes and 37 percent of adults classified under a high risk for developing the disease, emphasizing on an organized diet and exercise program is crucial. The studies included in the review were conducted between 1991 and 2015. The programs were aimed at teens and adults who had prediabetes, which is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. It includes trained professionals who can directly with patients for a minimum of three months doing counseling, coaching and support for the entire duration.

A few studies recommended that the trainers should be from various fields such as nutrition and physiotherapy and try and tailor diet and weight-loss exercise programs based on each individual’s needs.

In the review, it was also found out that certain community-based programs also helped in the weight loss process, lower blood sugar levels and risk reduction. He quickly went on to add that the problem is that when you simply tell someone to adopt healthier diets and spend more time exercising, they typically don’t listen.

As said by Dr. Patrick L. Remington, co-author of the recommendation statement, “If you exercise and eat better, you’ll reduce your risk of developing diabetes”.

Ethan Balk of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island said the first step towards prevention may be a change in providers’ attitudes, noting that many doctors do not believe that diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes.

Researchers also found that the programs can lead to significant cost cuts.

Dr. Remington stressed that this approach is more cost effective than most of the things health experts do, but he also pointed out that it does cost something and it’s not for those looking to save some money. “But the return for those costs are many years of healthy life gained, so we consider it cost effective.” said Remington. This is the reason why health promotion programs are important. “We’ve designed a healthcare system to treat sick people, not to prevent disease”.

These findings are not exactly unexpected, since most research has had similar findings. These programs are actually part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program which is present in every state.