NEW international research has confirmed that modest lifestyle changes can have a big impact on health.
A large Spanish trial, involving more than 4,700 adults aged 55 to 75, found that eating a Mediterranean-style diet with fewer calories, adding moderate exercise such as brisk walking, and receiving professional support reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%.
The PREDIMED-Plus study, led by the University of Navarra with over 200 researchers from 22 Spanish institutions, is the largest European trial on nutrition. Participants who followed a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet and exercise plan lost an average of 3.3 kilograms and reduced waist size by 3.6 cm. By comparison, those on a traditional Mediterranean diet without calorie reduction lost very little weight.
Experts say this shows that sustainable diet and exercise strategies can prevent thousands of new diabetes cases every year.
For Australia, where more than 1.3 million people live with type 2 diabetes and rates are rising, the findings are especially relevant. Researchers emphasise that prevention through healthier diets and more activity is a cost-effective public health approach.
The results were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.