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Healthy Lifestyle Factors Can Prevent Diabetes

August 22nd, 2009

The majority of new cases of diabetes in older adults could be prevented by following a healthier lifestyle, according to a recent study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers.

The study found that a combination of five lifestyle factors accounts for nine in 10 new cases of type 2 diabetes in men and women age 65 and older. The lifestyle factors that were examined included physical activity, diet, smoking habits, alcohol use, and amount of body fat.

Diabetes is a lifestyle disease and is largely preventable, says lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor of epidemiology at HSPH and assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and occurs when the body fails to respond to and produce insulin, resulting in a build-up of sugar in the blood and other biologic abnormalities.

Diabetes prevalence has increased in the past decade and affects an estimated 24 million Americans, or nearly eight percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease disproportionately affects older Americans.

In the recent study, researchers tracked 4,883 men and women age 65 or older over a period of 10 years as part of the Cardiovascular Health Study, a multicenter study to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular disease in older adults.

Participants were asked about their physical activity level, diet, smoking habits, and alcohol use. Body mass index and waist circumference were measured to determine the amount of body fat. Participants were grouped into a low-risk or high-risk group for each factor.

During the study period, more than 300 subjects were diagnosed with diabetes. Researchers found that each of the five lifestyle factors they measured was independently associated with the onset of diabetes.

The study results underscore that people can lower their diabetes risk considerably with healthy lifestyle changes. Very modest differences in lifestyle can have a tremendous impact on diabetes risk. Even two or three or four of the five factors, in any combination, were associated with substantially lower risk than the combination of all five.

“We are entering a public health emergency in obesity and diabetes,” Mozaffarian said. “We know how to prevent nearly all cases of type 2 diabetes. We need real and sustained policy, research, and public health focus on this emergency so that we can fix the clear societal and individual causes of this epidemic.”

In addition to lifestyle factors, acupuncture has been shown to be effective in alleviating diabetic symptoms and can be integrated into conventional care treatment of diabetes.

Acupuncture increases insulin production, improves blood circulation, stabilizes blood sugar by correcting endocrine system imbalances, and can aid in weight management. Acupuncture can treat overall health imbalances that may be present in addition to diabetes.

For information about acupuncture for the treatment of diabetes call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500. 

 

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