The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a large study spanning several years. The study looked at 3,234 people who were at a high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and compared healthy lifestyle changes and weight loss, with taking diabetes medication, to see which preventative method was more effective at lowering the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes.
Participants who lost a modest amount of weight and kept it off, while increasing their physical activity, lowered their chances of getting type 2 diabetes by 34%. Participants who took the diabetes drug, metformin, lowered their risk by 18%.
Interestingly, people over 60 years old, who lost weight and exercised, lowered their risk by 50%.
Losing weight and increasing your physical activity are positive changes you can make that can give you some control over your health, even if your risk for type 2 diabetes is high.
More from your diabetes guide...
- Diet and Exercise Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in People with Prediabetes
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