Diet, Exercise, and Diabetes

Diet and Exercise

There have been several studies in the past that promote lifestyle factors and compare them to drug treatments like metformin. For diabetes type 2 including pre-diabetes – here is another one – too bad more physicians are not “prescribing” this intervention instead of putting their patients on one drug after another to control diabetes type 2.

“Researchers randomly assigned 100 sedentary adults aged 65 to 85 with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity to either an intensive lifestyle intervention or a control group that only had monthly sessions about a healthy diet.  

A dietitian helped the intensive group consume a diet with sufficient protein, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and 500 to 750 fewer calories a day. The group also did 90 minutes of aerobic and resistance training three times a week.

After a year, the intensive group had lost 18 pounds and the control group lost virtually zero. The intensive group also gained more strength and fitness and had lower hemoglobin A1c (a long-term measure of blood glucose) and better insulin sensitivity.

The authors recommended that if you have diabetes type 2, Medicare covers behavioral therapy for obesity, and some Medicare Advantage plans offer gym memberships.”

Diabetes Care 2022. doi: 10.2337/dc22-0338.