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You can trick your genes in two ways to lower the risk of getting diabetes, study says
You can trick your genes to lower the risk of getting diabetes with two lifestyle changes, as a study highlights how important diet and exercise habits are.
People with type 2 diabetes are often told about lifestyle changes that offer different health benefits, but new research shows that a healthy diet and regular exercise can actually reduce the risk of the disease – even in individuals with a high genetic risk.
Lower the risk of getting diabetes with diet and exercise
Type 2 diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes and lower limb amputation. It is caused by a problem in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel, resulting in too much sugar circulating in the blood. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous, and immune systems.
The disease is caused by both genetic and environmental factors, and a new study from the University of Eastern Finland is the first to show that a good diet and exercise can reduce the risk no matter what.
More than 500 genetic variants have been identified that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle factors like being overweight and lack of exercise can also affect the risk of developing the disease.
While previous studies have shown that the condition can be effectively prevented by lifestyle changes, whether the disease can be prevented in individuals carrying numerous genetic variants has not been explored.
The study undertook a lifestyle intervention on men, changing their lifestyle habits by improving their diet and exercise behaviors. With the lifestyle changes, it was possible to reduce the deterioration of glucose metabolism.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was significantly lower in the lifestyle intervention group, and the effects of lifestyle changes were equally significant for individuals regardless of whether they had a low or a high genetic risk.
Lifestyle intervention shows beneficial changes
Docent Maria Lankinen, the first author of the study, stated: “These findings encourage everyone to make lifestyle changes that promote health.”
The findings also “demonstrate the effectiveness of group-and internet-based lifestyle guidance,” which she says “saves healthcare resources.”
The T2D-GENE Trial was a three-year lifestyle intervention that involved nearly 1,000 men aged 50 to 75 in eastern Finland, who had elevated fasting glucose at baseline – including those with genetic risk or lifestyle factors putting them at risk.
Men participating in the lifestyle intervention were able to significantly improve the quality of their diet, increasing their intake of dietary fiber, improving the quality of fats in their diet and increasing their consumption of vegetables, fruits and berries. The participants maintained their physically active exercise habits throughout the study.
Essentially, these research findings show that everyone benefits from lifestyle changes, regardless of genetic risk!
