Lifestyle Changes Effective In Protecting Against Type II Diabetes: "Changing to a healthier lifestyle appears to be at least as effective as taking prescription drugs in reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, says a new British Medical Journal study.
Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem -- in England around 1.3 million people have diabetes and around 5% of total NHS resources are used for the care of people with diabetes.
Researchers from Leicester reviewed studies which measured the effects of different interventions -- lifestyle, diabetes drug and anti-obesity drug -- on people with impaired glucose tolerance. (People with impaired glucose tolerance have a high risk of developing type II diabetes.)
They found that lifestyle changes, e.g. switching to a healthier diet and increasing exercise to be at least as effective as taking prescription drugs. On average, lifestyle changes helped to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around half. Lifestyle changes were also less likely to have adverse side-effects."
