DIABETES—A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE CAN PREVENT OR EVEN REVERSE IT
Today I’ve been reading the statistics on diabetes in this country. I had no idea that it and its precondition were so darn prevalent: More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their press release in July 2017. The report found that as of 2015 more than 30 million American adults have diabetes and another 84 million have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within 5 years. Thus, more than a third of U.S. adults have prediabetes.
The report also stated that nearly 1 in 4 adults living with diabetes didn’t know they had the condition. And only 11% of adults with prediabetes knew they had it.
Also, rates of diagnosed diabetes increased with age. Among adults ages 18-44, 4% had diabetes. Among those ages 45-64 years, 17% had it. And among those ages 65 years and older, 25% had diabetes.
People with diabetes are at increased risk of such serious complications as premature death, vision loss, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and amputation of toes, feet, or legs.
However, there’s also good news. Here are excerpts from a September 6, 2018 Harvard Health Blog by Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Healthy lifestyle can prevent diabetes (and even reverse it).
How a Healthy Diet & Lifestyle Can Prevent Diabetes
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large, long-term study, asked the question: we know an unhealthy diet and lifestyle can cause type 2 diabetes, but can adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle prevent it? This answer is yes: the vast majority of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can be prevented through diet and lifestyle changes, and this has been proven by 20 years of medical research.
Researchers from the DPP took people at risk for type 2 diabetes and gave them a 24-week diet and lifestyle intervention, a medication (metformin), or placebo (a fake pill), to see if anything could lower their risk for developing diabetes. The very comprehensive diet and lifestyle intervention had the goal of changing participants’ daily habits, and included: 16 classes teaching basic nutrition and behavioral strategies for weight loss and physical activity; lifestyle coaches with frequent contact with participants; supervised physical activity sessions; and good clinical support for reinforcing an individualized plan.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the diet and lifestyle intervention was incredibly effective. After three years, the diet and lifestyle group had a 58% lower risk of developing diabetes than the placebo group. Participants aged 60 and older had an even better response, with a whopping 71% lower risk of developing it. The diet and lifestyle effect lasted: even after 10 years, those folks had a 34% lower risk of developing diabetes compared to placebo. Men, women, and all racial and ethnic groups had similar results (and almost half of participants represented racial and ethnic minorities).
Meanwhile, the medication group had a 31% lower risk of diabetes after three years, and an 18% lower risk after 10 years, which is also significant. It’s perfectly all right to use medications along with diet and lifestyle changes, because each boosts the effect of the other. Studies looking at the combination of medication (metformin) with diet and lifestyle changes have shown an even stronger result.
[Read the complete Harvard Health Blog for dietary recommendations to prevent diabetes—and even reverse it.]
CDC Programs to Prevent Diabetes
Here’s more information from the CDC report that is especially useful to us seniors:
Based on the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program research findings the DPP includes an evidence-based, year-long, behavior change program to improve eating habits and increase physical activity to lose a modest amount of weight and significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
To raise awareness and help people with prediabetes know where they stand and how to prevent type 2 diabetes, there’s been launched a national public service advertising campaign. These include humorous PSAs in English and Spanish to encourage people to take a short online test at DoIHavePrediabetes.org to learn their risk.
Diet and lifestyle changes are so effective for diabetes prevention that as of April 2018, insurance companies are now covering these programs for people at risk. The CDCs Diabetes Prevention Program, used in many clinics, is a free tool to help you learn and stick with the healthy diet, physical activity, and stress management techniques that reduce your risk of developing the disease.