Type 2 diabetes is one of the biggest health problems in the world. It now affects over 530 million people globally, and that number keeps rising.
The main causes include unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, and being overweight. People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of serious health problems like heart disease and kidney damage. But the good news is that the disease can often be prevented through simple lifestyle changes.
A major study called PREDIMED-Plus has now shown that following a Mediterranean-style diet, doing moderate exercise, and getting support from health professionals can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%.
This research took place in Spain and was led by the University of Navarra with help from more than 200 scientists across 22 institutions. It is the largest nutrition study ever done in Europe.
The study followed 4,746 adults between 55 and 75 years old. All of them were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. However, none of them had diabetes or heart disease at the start of the study. Researchers divided the participants into two groups.
One group followed a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet, exercised regularly, and received support from professionals. The other group followed a regular Mediterranean diet without cutting calories or receiving exercise advice.
The Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish. It avoids processed foods and sugary drinks. In this study, the first group reduced their daily calories by about 600 and did moderate physical activity such as brisk walking and light strength training.
After six years, the results showed that the first group lost more weight and had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. On average, they lost 3.3 kilograms and reduced their waist size by 3.6 centimeters.
In comparison, the other group lost only 0.6 kilograms and just 0.3 centimeters around the waist. These changes were enough to prevent about three new cases of diabetes for every 100 people who followed the full program. This is a big deal for public health.
Professor Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, one of the lead researchers, said this is the first time a study has proven with strong evidence that this combination of diet, exercise, and weight loss is an effective way to prevent diabetes.
He said that if these changes were applied to large groups of at-risk people, it could prevent thousands of new cases every year.
Another expert, Professor Miguel Ruiz-Canela, said that this lifestyle approach improves how the body uses insulin and lowers inflammation. He added that it’s a simple and culturally accepted way to avoid a disease that is mostly preventable.
The study’s findings are not just important for Spain or countries around the Mediterranean. Experts say this strategy can work in other places too, but it may be harder to follow in some areas due to poor access to healthy food or limited places to exercise.
In countries like the United States, where more than 38 million people have diabetes, it could be an important tool. Researchers also believe this approach is cheaper and more sustainable than relying only on expensive medications.
The PREDIMED-Plus study builds on earlier research that showed the Mediterranean diet helps prevent heart disease. Together, these findings offer strong support for using diet and lifestyle changes in primary care clinics to prevent serious health problems like type 2 diabetes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about the cooking connection between potatoes and diabetes, and low calorie diets may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about protein power: a new ally in diabetes management, and pineapple and diabetes: A sweet surprise.
The study was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
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