58 Percent Reduced Diabetes Risk Reducing Weight and Exercising
Bolaleman
Group reveals that overweight people can reduce the risk of developing
Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent by reducing their weight combined with
an exercise program.
In the study performed by the US researchers and published in the
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) in October 2008, a
total of 3,234 overweight people participated in a three-year diabetes
prevention program. The participants were segregated into three
groups: The first group, called the lifestyle intervention group,
received intensive training in diet, physical activity, and behavior
modification. By eating less fat and fewer calories and exercising for
a total of 150 minutes a week, they aimed to lose 7 percent of their
body weight and maintain that loss. The second group took the popular
anti-diabetic drug Metformin (850mg twice a day), and the third
receiving a placebo (an inert sugar-type pill labeled exactly like the
Metformin drug). The Metformin and placebo groups also received
information about diet and exercise but no intensive motivational
counseling. At the beginning there was also a fourth group receiving
the drug Troglitazone (Rezulin). This group was discontinued when it
was discovered that Rezulin has the potential to cause serious liver
damage.
After concluding the three-year prevention program, all participants
had access to ongoing lifestyle coaching and were frequently monitored
regarding their glucose blood levels over a period of ten years.
<b>Dieters gather the most benefit </b>
The study clearly shows that overweight people reducing their weight
by 7 percent, combined with a 30 minute daily exercise program,
achieve a reduction of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 percent
compared with the people of the placebo group. Weight loss and
physical activity improve the body’s ability to use insulin and
process glucose and thus reduce the risk of developing diabetes. This
finding was true for both men and women and across all participating
ethnic groups. Weight reduction in particular was beneficial for
participants over 60 years who achieved this way a diabetes risk
reduction of 71 percent.
The group applying Metformin also showed a significant diabetes 2 risk
reduction of 31 percent. Metformin was found to be most effective in
men and women between 25 and 44 years and in those with a body mass
index of 35 or higher (i.e. with at least 60 pounds overweight) and
least effective in people over 45 years old.
Further analysis of the data also have added to the evidence that
changes in diet and physical activity leading to weight loss not only
reduce diabetes risk but also risk of cardiovascular diseases,
including high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. Participants in
the lifestyle intervention group who did not have metabolic syndrome
at the beginning of the study—about half of the participants—were less
likely to develop it than those in the other groups.
This study is one more proof of the importance of weight control and
physical exercises for personal wellness and good health. It clearly
shows that lifestyle factors (obesity and sedentary lifestyle) are
very important in triggering the genetic elements that cause Type 2
diabetes. People having somebody in the family suffering this disease
should pay special attention to these results and considering them as
a motivation for applying a rigorous weight control and routinely
physical training program.
Bolaleman
http://healthylossdiet.blogspot.com