A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has shown that a calorie-reduced version of the Mediterranean diet combined with exercise and counseling may cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%.
The study was an analysis of a randomized controlled trial. The trial featured nearly 5,000 adults ages 55 to 75 years old who had metabolic syndrome along with overweight or obesity. Participants did not have diabetes or cardiovascular disease prior to the study. During the study, they were randomly assigned to either a control group that received advice on the Mediterranean diet or an intervention group that was assigned to eat a reduced-calorie Mediterranean diet, participate in an exercise plan, and receive behavioral counseling on reducing weight. The study lasted six years, and various health measures were taken each year throughout the study. These measures included diabetes incidence, weight, and waistline circumference.
The results of the study showed that those who followed the reduced-calorie diet and exercise plan had a 31% lower incidence of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the control group. They also lost 2.7 kg more than the control group on average and reduced their waist size by 3.3 cm more than the control group.
The authors stated that their intervention of a reduced-calorie Mediterranean diet, exercise, and counseling is a highly effective tool for preventing the development of type 2 diabetes. When scaled to a larger at-risk population, this intervention could potentially prevent thousands of new cases of type 2 diabetes each year. Type 2 diabetes is a growing worldwide health concern that is tied to both obesity and cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, changes to diet, exercise, and lifestyle may be a simple and effective way to lower the risk of developing it and other chronic health conditions.
Sources: Annals of Internal Medicine, Science Daily
