Northwestern University Logo As per a national study which is based on 10 years of data, rigorous lifestyle alterations targeted at reasonable weight loss supposedly decreased the pace of developing type 2 diabetes by around 34 percent in individuals who are at an elevated threat for the disease.

Participants were randomly asked to make lifestyle modifications. It was observed that they had advantageous cardiovascular risk factors, together with lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels, regardless of consuming fewer drugs to regulate their heart disease risk.

Mark E. Molitch, M.D., professor of medicine and principle investigator at the Feinberg School and an attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, commented, “I think it is striking that even a small amount of weight loss and increase in exercise has such a prolonged effect in delaying the onset or perhaps even preventing diabetes.

Molitch added, “The benefits were particularly profound for older individuals, people age 60 and older.”

He observed that they apparently lowered their speed of developing type 2 diabetes in the subsequent 10 years by about half. Treatment with the oral diabetes drug metformin supposedly decreased the pace of developing diabetes by around 18 percent after 10 years as opposed to placebo.

Results of the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study, which tests the perseverance of the interventions examined in the Diabetes Prevention Program, has appeared online in The Lancet on Oct. 29, 2009.