Diet, exercise prevents diabetes, study shows --yet again!

October 29, 10:30 AMMiami Health ExaminerCharlotte Libov

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Charity walks like this a good way to exercise (© C. Libov)

This shouldn't be news, but it is: Today's (Oct. 29, 2009) medical news carries the latest report from a landmark trial, which again proves that a combination of diet and exercise sharply cuts the risk of diabetes, one of the deadliest diseases on the planet.

This latest study published online and in an upcoming issue of The Lancet, continues to provide evidence that you can prevent this killer disease with a modest weight loss and increased physical activity. In fact, participants in this research, the Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study, reduced their risk by 34%, or one-third.

This should be old news. Researchers have trumpeted the word that type 2 diabetes (the most common form)  is among the most preventable diseases on the planet. In my book, "Beat Your Risk Factors" which was published several years ago, I cited several major studies along this line, and the pile of proof from additional studies has only continued to grow. I naively assumed that people would pay attention.  The rate of diabetes, however, continues to climb; a new federal study reported earlier this year that nearly 13% of adults age 20 and older have the disease. That's almost double the 8% reported in an earlier study.  Although some of this uptick may be due to a more sensitive test, other research finds that the disease is steadily increasing in all age groups across America.  In addition, millions more Americans are not aware they have the disease, which causes damage to the body years before it is diagnosed, reports say.

Diabetes is well worth preventing because of the toll it takes; it sets the stage for catastrophic diseases including heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, and is also responsible for devastating complications, including blindness limb amputation and nerve damage.

In addition, the diet and exercise guidelines that participants followed was not draconian; they were simple lifestyle changes that involved following a reduced caloric and low-fat diet, coupled with modest amounts of regular exercise, like a 30-minute brisk walk, five times a week.

Why do I get on a soapbox about diabetes? My father died at the age of 59 from a heart attack, which he would not have suffered had he not been diabetic. Is diet and exercise easy? Hey, I know it isn't. Since my father's diabetes translates to a heightened risk,  I'm very aware of the heartache this disease causes. But I don't always follow my own advice, so I recently rejoined my Miami Beach gym, when it became clear to me that occasional dips in the ocean and strolls along the beach were not furnishing me with adequate exercise.

Won't you join me?  After all, beating diabetes is worth it!