People at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes can change their fate by altering their diet and exercise patterns. The current research included 568 Chinese people who were followed up for more than two decades.
At the outset, the study subjects were randomly assigned to interventions in diet, exercise or diet plus exercise or to the usual care without intervention to serve as a comparison group. The diet had lower levels of simple carbs than usual and less alcohol. The exercise program was designed to help the volunteers increase their leisure time activity.
All three intervention groups had lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes during the six years of active intervention. The follow-up decades later found that those who had participated in the lifestyle changing groups were less likely to have died, especially of heart disease. Women benefited much more than men.
The interventions had also reduced the likelihood of diabetes: although three-fourths of those participating in interventions eventually developed the disease, that is significantly lower than the 90 percent of the comparison group who ended up with blood sugar in the diabetic range.
[The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, online, April 3, 2014]
If you would like tips on how to follower a reduced carbohydrate diet, we suggest our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. It offers a succinct summary of this approach to eating.
