- Roughly one in 10 Americans has diabetes, with the majority categorized as type 2 diabetes, per the CDC.
- A new study suggests that three key lifestyle changes can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 31 percent.
- Here’s what those changes are, plus how you can implement this information in your daily life.
Whether type 2 diabetes runs in your family or you are determined to do what you can to avoid developing the disease, it’s helpful to know what variables are in your power when it comes to lowering your risk. About one in 10 Americans have diabetes and, of those, the majority have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the CDC also points out that many cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes. And now, there’s new research suggesting that a very specific combination of three easy health habits can actually drop your risk of developing the disease by up to 31 percent.
Published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the study found that people who made these lifestyle changes not only lowered their risk, but lost weight and reduced their waist size, too.
So, what’s do these lifestyle changes involve and why do they work well for diabetes prevention? Here’s everything you need to know, according to experts.
Meet the expert: Mir Ali, MD, is medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA; Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, is author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, is co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab; Keri Gans, RD, is the author of The Small Change Diet.
What did the study find?
For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 5,000 participants in the PREDIMED-Plus clinical trial, which is the largest nutrition and lifestyle randomized trial in Europe. The researchers split participants into an intervention group and a control group, and then tracked their health for six years. At the start of the study, all participants were between 55 and 75, were overweight or had obesity, and had metabolic syndrome (a cluster of symptoms that raises the risk of diabetes and other health conditions) but didn’t have type 2 diabetes.
Those in the intervention group were asked to follow a Mediterranean diet, reduce their daily caloric intake by about 600 calories a day, and do regular moderate physical activity. They also got professional support for weight loss control. The control group stuck to a Mediterranean diet, but didn’t restrict calories, follow specific guidance around exercise, or receive professional support for their weight loss.
At the study’s conclusion, the researchers found that people in the intervention group had a 31 percent lower risk of develop type 2 diabetes compared to people in the control group. They also lost an average of 7.3 pounds compared to 1.3 pounds in the control group, and reduced their waist circumference by 3.6 centimeters compared to the control group’s 0.3 centimeters.
How is the Mediterranean diet helpful in lowering diabetes risk?
Everyone in the study followed the Mediterranean diet, and it seemed to help with weight loss across the board. While losing weight can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with overweight or obesity, there’s likely more to it than that, according to Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers.
“It generally is high in fiber, healthy fats, and polyphenols, all of which have been shown to play a protective role in health in various ways,” she says. “It’s also typically low in saturated fat, sugar, and ultra-processed foods in general, which have been linked in research to increased disease risk when consumed in excess.”
The Mediterranean diet also encourages lowers amounts of carbs and sugars, points out Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “That’s helpful not only for diabetes, but for helping patients lose weight,” he says.
What counts as “moderate physical activity”?
This particular study had participants do things like brisk walking, strength training, and balance exercises. So, in this case, moderate physical activity is basically any exercise that will get your heart rate up but isn’t necessarily leaving you panting for air. Ostensibly, the participants also exercised regularly.
What’s the healthiest way to reduce calories?
First of all, the right amount of calories that you need each day is highly individual and based on things like your age, how active you are, and your weight goals, Cording says. But if you’re looking to follow this study’s “calorie reduction” rule for diabetes prevention, she suggests tweaking your existing diet to try to cut out extra calories.
“An approach I’ve found helpful for my clients is to explore where excess calories may be coming from and take small steps to reduce there,” she says. “For example, if someone is consuming a lot of extra calories through large quantities of sugary beverages, starting by switching to a smaller size and/or reducing the frequency of those beverages may be helpful.” Cording also says that incorporating more foods with protein, healthy fat, and fiber may help you feel fuller, longer, and therefore less likely to take in more calories than you need.
The National Institutes of Health also has an online body weight planner that can help you figure out what your daily calorie count should be based on your goals, plus how many calories you should take in once you’ve reached that goal.
How can these three lifestyle changes work together to lower diabetes risk?
Diabetes is a complicated condition and, as such, usually requires a multi-pronged approach to lower your risk, according to Dr. Ali. But, “all of these things [mentioned in the study] help direct the body toward reducing insulin secretion and burning fat, which can reduce the risk of diabetes,” he says.
Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, agrees, calling these three interventions “the ideal scenario” for reducing diabetes risk.
That same idea is echoed by nutritionist Keri Gans, RD, the author of The Small Change Diet. “A Mediterranean-style diet offers plenty of fiber, healthy fats, and other nutrients that may help control blood sugar,” she says. “Managing calorie intake helps prevent excess weight gain, and even a modest weight loss of 5 to 7 percent of body weight may significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” She also points out that physical activity also plays an important role in this process by helping to lower blood glucose levels and improving how your body uses insulin.
So, it sounds like these findings offer some great tips for your roadmap in disease prevention.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.