Diet and exercise programs designed to reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes may also be effective in decreasing many onset diabetes cases that have been cropping up, the Community Preventive Services Task Force recommended in their report.
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, reviewed 53 studies in 66 diet and exercise programs that are already being adopted across the United States from 1991 to 2015. These programs usually consist of weight less goals, designed either for individuals or groups who are pre-diabetic. It also covers diet and exercise plans as well as meeting with trainers, dieticians, nutritionists and counselors.
The review found out that the results were mostly positive, especially for community-based programs, as more participants showed improved weight and lowered blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Further, the review provided a consensus for how diet and exercise must continually be promoted in clinics and communities.
"If you exercise and eat better, you'll reduce your risk of developing diabetes," said Dr. Patrick L. Remington, co-authors of the said recommendation, according to Reuters. "But if you simply tell somebody to eat better and exercise, that does not work."
The study also saw that these programs were more economical for diabetic sufferers. "This is more cost effective than most of what we do in medicine, but not cost saving, it does cost something," said Remington thru Reuters. "But the return for those costs are many years of healthy life gained, so we consider it cost effective."
The report cited gyms and health clubs as examples that offer cost-effective results, as many charge a modest fee for use of its facilities or motivate members to a change in lifestyle.
With nine percent of Americans already afflicted with type 2 diabetes and 37 percent of adults classified under a high risk for developing the disease, emphasizing on an organized diet and exercise program is crucial. If not, those under high risk could become full-blown diabetics in 10 years, Good4Utah reported.
"Not only did the task force look at the effectiveness of a combined intervention, but the cost-effectiveness for communities," said Dr. Betul Hatipoglu, an endocrinologist, via Good4Utah. "Patients who are aware of their high risk should see this as a second chance. They can either intervene with exercise and diet, or do nothing about it and further advance diabetes," the doctor added.
The recommendation is to do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week and combine this with weight training, if possible.
