Can lifestyle modification prevent diabetes?
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Dr. Dean Ornish answered:A landmark study by the Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, studied 3,234 men and women with prediabetes to determine whether lifestyle modification could prevent diabetes.
It did.
These patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: one group received metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes medication; one group made moderate changes in diet and lifestyle (asked to follow a step 1 diet of 30 percent fat and less red meat, to exercise, and to lose weight); and the third group was asked to make more-intensive changes in diet and lifestyle (to eat a diet lower in fat and calories, to lose at least 7 percent of their body weight, and to exercise at least 150 minutes per week).
Daily energy intake decreased by 250 calories in the group that made moderate lifestyle changes, by 300 calories in the medication group, and by 450 calories in the intensive lifestyle-modification group. Dietary fat intake decreased by less than 1 percent in the medication and the moderate lifestyle-changes groups and by 6.6 percent in the more-intensive lifestyle changes group. Weight loss was .25 pound in the moderate lifestyle-change group, 4.6 pounds in the medication group, and 12.3 pounds in the intensive lifestyle-change group.
After three years, there was 58 percent less diabetes in the intensive lifestyle-change group than in the group that made moderate lifestyle changes and only a 31 percent reduction in diabetes due to the metformin medication.
The authors concluded, “The [intensive] lifestyle intervention was significantly more effective than metformin” in preventing diabetes.
The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study was another large randomized controlled trial showing that comprehensive lifestyle changes can help prevent diabetes in those who are prediabetic. In this study, patients were randomly assigned to a usual-care control group or a group that consumed more whole grains, fiber, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and low-fat meats, lost weight, and exercised more. After five years, the incidence of diabetes was reduced by 58 percent, the same as in the Diabetes Prevention Program study.
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A landmark study by the Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, studied 3,234 men and women with prediabetes to determine whether lifestyle modification could prevent diabetes. It did. These... More -
Yogi Cameron Alborzian answered:Each of us knows at least several people who suffer from either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. We watch them as they constantly monitor their blood sugar levels, take insulin injections, and even navigate their way through the ins and outs of an insulin pump. Modern medicine suggests that this labor-intensive way of life is the only solution to regulate this disease. And yet, I've worked with several diabetics who have gone from an intense dependence on insulin to almost no insulin at all. But how could that be?
Ayurvedic medicine teaches us that diabetes, like any disease of the body, has a root cause. When we establish what that cause is and shift our lifestyle through a certain diet, an intake of herbs, the practicing of yoga posture and breathing techniques, and the administration of other remedies and therapies, we bring the body into greater balance. When we attain this balance, we no longer depend on severe medicinal regimens. Our body is no longer in a state of dis-ease.
Each of us knows at least several people who suffer from either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. We watch them as they constantly monitor their blood sugar levels, take insulin injections, and even navigate their way through the ins and outs of an insulin... More
