Lifestyle changes
reverse Type 2 Diabetes in study participants
Newswise — Those who have
or are at-risk of developing type 2 diabetes may be able to
reverse the illness by improving their diet and engaging in
regular exercise, according to a study done by a Brigham
Young University exercise scientist.
“We know an awful lot
about diabetes prevention, but we do very little about it,”
said Steve Aldana, a professor of health and human
performance. “Seven to nine percent of Americans have type 2
diabetes, and half don’t even know it yet. It’s a disease
that’s going to kill many Americans way before their time.”
Type 2 diabetes, which
accounts for 94 percent of all diabetes cases, develops
later in a person’s life, usually as a result of a poor diet
and lack of activity. The affliction can cause blindness,
loss of limbs and ultimately death.
Aldana’s study, published
in the November 2 issue of the journal of the American
Association of Occupational Health Nurses, details work
implementing a work-sponsored wellness program for medical
device company B.D. Medical.
Aldana and his team of
researchers screened employees of the company to determine
who was at-risk for or had diabetes. Those who tested
positive were asked to volunteer to participate in the
year-long health program, which focused on reducing the
amount of food people ate, improving the quality of that
food and increasing physical activity.
“Participants ate more
whole grains, fruits and vegetables, less refined
carbohydrates and foods closer to their natural form,”
Aldana said. They were also expected to exercise any way
they chose for 30 minutes each day.
By measuring blood insulin
levels and running glucose tolerance tests, Aldana was able
to observe how long sugars stayed in a person’s system.
Participants were screened at the beginning of the study,
six months later and one year after the program started.
Aldana observed dramatic
improvements at both the six month and one year marks. In
the end, more than half the participants were no longer
diabetic or at risk. Cardiovascular risk indicators like
cholesterol and blood pressure decreased as well.
“Ideally, it’s best to
prevent diabetes from ever happening in the first place, but
in many cases where it appeared to be too late we were able
to stop it or reverse it,” Aldana said.
The professor said he
feels the results of the study, although impressive, don’t
show the full influence lifestyle change can have on chronic
illnesses like diabetes. “I wasn’t at all surprised by the
results,” Aldana said. “I was actually a little disappointed
that more people didn’t improve. The data we gathered
confirm again how important it is for people to have
encouragement to live healthy.”
Ron Z. Goetzel, director
of Cornell University’s Institute for Policy Research, said
work-place health programs can yield impressive results if
done correctly.
“The programs that are
most effective are the ones that achieve high participation
in preliminary screenings and have senior management support
and buy-in,” Goetzel said. “That was demonstrated in Dr.
Aldana’s study by the company giving employees time to
participate.”
Aldana also wasn’t
surprised the company wanted help establishing a wellness
program. A diabetic employee can cost a company $100,000 in
health care costs. Annually, the U.S. spends $132 billion
treating diabetes.
“Work is where people
spend most of their day,” Aldana said. “So these types of
wellness programs have the potential to dramatically change
health care in the United States if they are more widely
adopted.”
David Steurer, membership
director for the Wellness Councils of America, said that for
the normal person, adhering to a healthy lifestyle can be
difficult.
“We all know what we’re
supposed to do but how many of us actually do it?” said
Steurer. “Work is an excellent place for people to get the
support they need to get healthy.”
Aldana, the author of “The
Culprit and The Cure,” is a strong advocate for lifestyle
change as a way to treat illnesses in general.
“This is about more than
just diabetes,” Aldana said. “It is about preventing,
arresting and reversing many of the chronic diseases that
Americans have. Lifestyle change is better than even the
best medications.”
Aldana said there are four
things an organization can do to promote lifestyle changes:
educate, motivate, provide tools and change environment.
• Educate: The employees
at B.D. Medical attended an educational meeting every week
for 16 weeks to learn about diabetes.
• Motivate: Use incentives
like prizes for exercising 30 minutes each day for a week.
• Provide skills/tools:
encourage changes, like strategies on how to substitute
healthy foods for unhealthy foods.
• Change environments: put
healthier food in the office cafeteria or letting families
visit to take a walk at lunch.