Diet and Exercise Can Outsmart Genetic Diabetes Risk

Although genetics play a significant role in the development of type 2 diabetes, genes don’t determine everything in life.

Lifestyle Changes Can Defy Genetic Predisposition

A new study suggests, for the first time, that even those who are genetically predisposed to diabetes can prevent the disease with the right lifestyle choices.

A three-year intervention in Finland has shown that a healthy diet and regular exercise can reduce the likelihood of men developing type 2 diabetes, even those with a “high genetic risk.”

The program helped patients balance their blood sugar levels and lose weight, and this was true even for those with low genetic risk factors for diabetes.

These findings encourage everyone to make lifestyle changes that promote health. Furthermore, they demonstrate the effectiveness of group- and internet-based lifestyle guidance, which saves healthcare resources, says clinical nutritionist Maria Lankinen from the University of Eastern Finland.

This isn’t the first study to show that lifestyle interventions can reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

Recently, a year-long diabetes program in England found that a total overhaul of a person’s daily diet could put 32 percent of type 2 diabetes patients into remission, meaning they no longer need medication.

New Study Explores Genetic and Environmental Factors

However, this latest study helps to disentangle the roles that genes and the environment play in the onset of diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital in Finland included more than 600 male participants over the age of 50 in the intervention study.

The participants attended group sessions on the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity. They also received individual nutritional feedback from clinical nutritionists and followed a dietary and exercise guide for the next three years. Twice during that period, they underwent oral glucose tolerance tests and physical exams.

About half of the group included in the intervention had a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes, while the other half had a low genetic risk.Researchers assessed this based on 76 gene variants known to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The study also included a control group of 345 male participants who did not undergo the intervention. This group consisted of 149 individuals with a high genetic risk and 196 with a low genetic risk.

Compared to those with a high genetic risk in the control group, those with a high genetic risk who participated in the three-year intervention were 6 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Those in the intervention group with a low genetic risk did not show a significant difference compared to those with a low genetic risk in the control group, but they still showed weight loss and metabolic benefits on par with the high-risk intervention group.

Aging and Blood Sugar Control

As people age, their blood sugar control typically worsens, but the intervention group experienced significantly smaller adverse effects compared to the control group.

This suggests that participants with a low genetic risk also benefit from lifestyle changes.

Researchers argue that this trial demonstrates type 2 diabetes can be “prevented or delayed” with an accessible approach, though more studies are needed to confirm this effect in larger and more diverse cohorts.

Focusing on a healthy diet and physical activity in middle-aged and elderly men, especially those with a high genetic risk for type 2 diabetes, could be a cost-effective and practical way to reduce the occurrence of this highly common metabolic disease.

Read the Original Article: Science Alert

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