Many factors increase the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. You are at risk if:

• you have impaired glucose tolerance
• diabetes runs in your family
• you have hypertension
• you are overweight
• you are a woman who had gestational diabetes while you were pregnant
• you are in a high-risk ethnic group (Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, African-American)

Now a study from Finland has shown that changing eating and exercise habits can definitely prevent the onset of diabetes in people at high risk for it.

In a study of 523 adults with impaired glucose tolerance, half were assigned to an intervention group which received individual counseling on nutrition and exercise and individualized exercise plans, including supervised exercise sessions at least 3 times a week. People in the control group received standard advice for diet and exercise. The average age of the study participants was 55, and all were considerably overweight.

After 4 years, the incidence of type 2 diabetes was 22% in the control group but only 10% in the intervention group, yielding a 58% reduction in the incidence of diabetes. People in the intervention group lost 9.24 pounds in the first year, with a net loss over 2 years of 7.7 pounds. In contrast, people in the control group lost only 1.76 pounds.

The researchers from the Finnish National Public Health Institute told the June 2000 meeting of the ADA's 60th Annual Scientific Sessions that their study showed that modest but systematic and persistent changes in lifestyle are effective in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk.

A large-scale study of preventing diabetes, called the 'US Diabetes Prevention Program,' is currently under way in the US. As its results become available, we'll pass them along to you in this space.