Staying Fit Can Stave Off Disability

Losing weight and improving fitness can have a profound impact on the health of people with type 2 diabetes. Such patients often struggle with weight and frequently have problems with mobility as their disease progresses. Some people are calling this condition diabesity and it becomes a vicious cycle. The more weight people gain the harder it is to control blood sugar and the more difficult it becomes to exercise regularly. That in turn leads to more weight gain.
A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that intense lifestyle intervention can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and improve their fitness and this in turn preserves the mobility for at least four years. The research included more than 5,000 individuals who were randomly assigned to lifestyle intervention or diabetes education. The intervention initially involved four group or individual sessions per month focused on diet and physical activity. The education control group got three sessions a year. After four years, those in the intense lifestyle group were more likely to be physically active and less likely to have developed physical disability.
[New England Journal of Medicine, March 29, 2012]