Can Type 2 Diabetes be Prevented?

The number of people with diabetes has doubled in just ten years. It's predicted that by 2050, one in three people in the U.S. will have diabetes. This serious degenerative disease is the leading cause of adult-onset blindness, kidney failure, and surgical amputations. Developing type 2 diabetes is a gradual process; most individuals progress through a period of time referred to as prediabetes which affects nearly one out of every three Americans. The incidence of diabetes has reached epidemic proportions...yet a point often overlooked is that diabetes is largely a preventable disorder through diet and lifestyle modifications.

A study involving thousands of prediabetic subjects was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study reported that lifestyle interventions "reduced diabetes incidence by 58, compared to only 31 percent with Metformin" (a commonly prescribed drug for diabetics.) Researchers concluded that diet and lifestyle changes were "significantly more effective than the drug, with fewer side-effects. More than three quarters of those on the drug reported gastrointestinal symptoms." 

Subsequent studies corroborate these findings. "Non-drug approaches are superior to drug-based approaches for diabetes prevention." Dr. Michael Greger's above video highlights several studies which compared the results of those who made changes in their diets to those that used prescription drugs. Those individuals that changed their diet (which included adding more whole plant foods) in one study had a 100% drop in risk of developing diabetes. Given these facts, diet and exercise offers powerful protection against the development of type 2 diabetes - even in high-risk prediabetic individuals.

For more information, click on the links below:

(1) Blogs on diabetes

(2) Linda Carney MD Diabetes Pinterest Board

(3) Keep It Simple Diabetes Care

(4) Increased Dietary Fat Causes Increased Diabetes