What The Diabetes Prevention Program Could Mean For You

Since Type 2 diabetes has been on the rise in America, doctors and scientists have been interested in finding the absolutely best way to prevent developing this disease. Lifestyle interventions, such as increasing physical activity and losing weight, have been shown to be able to prevent diabetes.

Metformin, an oral medication that helps control blood sugar levels, has also been shown to be effective. Researchers conducted a large study to see which is more effective - lifestyle intervention or metformin.

The study enrolled over 3,000 people. They were divided into three groups...

• one group completed the lifestyle intervention,
• a second group took metformin, and
• the third group took a placebo.

The placebo was designed to look just like the off-white capsule shaped, unscored metformin tablet, so the subjects couldn't tell the difference. This way, the researchers were able to make sure any changes in the metformin group were due to the medication and not the "placebo effect" - where people get better simply because they expect to, even if they aren't taking the real medication.

The lifestyle intervention had two goals. The participants needed to...

• exercise at least 150 minutes a week, and
• lose 7% of their weight.

They received support to reach these goals through...

• lifestyle coaches,
• behavior management lessons,
• physical activity sessions, and
• individualized material.

At the end of the study, it was found people in both the metformin group and the lifestyle intervention group, lowered their daily caloric intake and had a reduced chance of developing Type 2 diabetes than those in the placebo group.

This indicates taking metformin and exercise/weight loss are effective at decreasing your risk of developing this form of diabetes.

The study also found people in the lifestyle intervention group also lowered their daily caloric intake more than those in the metformin group and had an added reduced chance of developing this disease.

So, this tells us lifestyle changes are more effective.

What does this mean for you? If you are prediabetic or have risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, the best way for you to prevent developing this disease is to make lifestyle changes. You can use some of the same strategies as the participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program to reduce your risk...

• aim for 150 minutes of physical activity a week. This is considered a realistic and effective amount of exercise for diabetes prevention.
• if you're overweight, try to lose 7% of your body weight. For most people, this is a safe amount of weight to lose and is effective in reducing your risk factors.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

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