A new study carried out in the United States has identified the five major lifestyle factors that it claims can effect the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. The factors, eating a healthy diet, taking regular exercise, keeping your body weight at a reasonable level, not drinking too much alcohol and not smoking, are all known risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes.
The research by the National Institutes of Health, involving over 200,000 healthy people aged between 50 and 71, and which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that each factor, either on its own or in combination, contributes to a lowering of the risk of developing the metabolic condition.
By the eleventh year of the study, around 10 per cent of men had developed diabetes, and about 8 per cent of the women, while those who had achieved all five standards experienced about an 80 per cent reduction in the chances of a diagnosis for diabetes than those who had a healthy lifestyle.
Of the five standards, being overweight was revealed to be most associated with the risk of diabetes, although the other four factors did make a difference, regardless of a person’s weight.
Lead author on the study, Jared Reis, commented “This is good news for those individuals who have a tough time losing weight – you can still lower your risk with these other lifestyle changes.”
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