Healthy Diet & Exercise Yield Long-Term Benefits for Diabetes

Previous studies have shown that lifestyle interventions can produce short-term improvements in blood glucose levels and cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with type-2 diabetes. The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Research Group (USA) examined the effects of healthy diet options and engaging in regular physical activity on changes in weight, fitness, and cardiovascular disease risk factors during a 4-year study involving 5,145 overweight or obese individuals (average age 58.7 years) with type-2 diabetes.  The team assigned approximately half of the subjects (2,570 participants) to a lifestyle intervention involving  a combination of diet modification and physical activity designed to induce a 7% weight loss in the first year and maintain it in subsequent years.  The remaining study subjects were assigned to a diabetes support and education group.  On average, across the four-year period, individuals in the lifestyle intervention group lost a significantly larger percentage of their weight than did those in the diabetes support group (6.2% vs. 0.9%). They also experienced greater improvements in fitness, hemoglobin A1c level (a measure of blood glucose), blood pressure and levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol). At the end of four years, the lifestyle intervention group maintained greater improvements in weight, fitness, hemoglobin A1c levels, systolic blood pressure and HDL levels. The researchers conclude that: “Intensive lifestyle intervention can produce sustained weight loss and improvements in fitness, glycemic control, and [cardiovascular disease] risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes.”