Will lifestyle changes help manage diabetes?

Small changes can make a big difference in managing diabetes symptoms. In this video, Judith Fradkin, MD, director of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, explains more.

Transcript

00:00

We're not talking about marathons or things like this. We're talking about giving people advice to try to lose 10 or 15 pounds,

00:09

helping them with their diet. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:18

We had a study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, which was a study of people with prediabetes,

00:25

who were at high risk of going on into development of type 2 diabetes. We gave them a lifestyle intervention,

00:33

which on average, yielded about a 15-pound weight loss. Over the subsequent three years, the risk of type 2 diabetes

00:42

fell by more than 50%. So it was a huge effect on the risk of developing diabetes.

00:48

We did a similar study in people with type 2 diabetes, where we gave them a similar intervention.

00:55

It enabled them to control their blood glucose, their blood pressure, their lipids with much less use of medication.

01:01

In addition, they were much more able to do activities of daily life. I mean, their ability-- their ability

01:08

to actually be physically functioning was dramatically improved.

01:14

And, you know, we're not talking about marathons or things like this. We're talking about giving people

01:20

advice to try to lose 10 or 15 pounds, helping them with their diet, encouraging them to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.