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Diabetes Type 2 Can be Prevented

Diabetes type 2 can be prevented. Diabetes Care, Vol. 30, #2, 2FEB2007.

The changes that need to be made are dietary changes by reducing weight, total and saturated fats, increased intake of dietary fiber and increased physical activity. The physical activity was defined in the New Eng J Med 2002;346:393-403 as exercising 30 minutes, 5 days a week. If you took some metformin most people would lose more.

The DREAM trial Lancet 2006;368:1096-1105 indicated the use of Avandia made a 60% reduction in the incidence of Diabetes 2. These modalities work for as long as they are used and they do involve some consideration of being trained by professionals in areas where you are uncertain of what to do. Using diet, exercise, metformin and Avandia as the most powerful methods to prevent diabetes some would be quite successful at avoiding diabetes.

However we are up against some serious obstacles to prevention.

1. Skeptical doctors searching for study flaws, “not enough work has been done yet”.
2. Insurance companies worry about their bottom line.
3. Doctors too busy to read these landmark articles and don’t know the results.
4. People with diabetes 2 are unaware of the results and therefore don’t spread the work to all their relatives who are at risk.
5. People at risk won’t spend money on prevention because prevention has not been traditionally felt to help.
6. There is a lack of education and perceived usefulness of these studies in caregivers and people at risk for this problem.
7. Even the FDA has not made any recommendation regarding these proven principals and medications to prevent type 2.
8. Diet and exercise can be started on your own but adding in a medication needs physician assistance.

These approaches are very safe, inexpensive and would be best promoted on a community-wide basis. As you have heard, the diet you might choose when eating out might well taste good but not be the best for you.

Tell your family, tell your friends about all these studies. This really is your time.