A new study from the University of Eastern Finland is the first in the world to show that a healthy diet and regular exercise reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, even in individuals with a high genetic risk. In other words, everyone benefits from lifestyle changes, regardless of genetic risk.
Type 2 diabetes is a global problem. According to the International Diabetes Federation, IDF, one in eleven adults worldwide has diabetes, with type 2 diabetes responsible for 90 percent of cases. To date, researchers have identified more than 500 genetic variants that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle factors also influence the risk of developing the disease. Major lifestyle-related risk factors include obesity, low dietary fiber intake, high saturated fat intake and lack of exercise. Previous studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can be effectively prevented through lifestyle changes, but have not investigated whether the disease can be prevented even in individuals who carry numerous genetic variants that predispose them to type 2 diabetes.
The T2D-GENE study was a three-year lifestyle intervention involving almost 1,000 men aged 50 to 75 in Eastern Finland. All participants in the study had an elevated fasting glucose level at baseline. The lifestyle intervention group consisted of more than 600 men, the rest served as a control group. Men in the intervention group received guidance on health-promoting lifestyles during group meetings and were supported by a web portal designed for the study. Those invited to the study were in the lowest or highest tertile for genetic risk, i.e. they had a high or a low risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The genetic risk was determined based on 76 known gene variants is that they predispose to type 2 diabetes. During the intervention, neither the study participants nor the researchers knew to which genetic risk group the participants belonged. All participants in the intervention received the same lifestyle guidance.
Men who participated in the lifestyle intervention were able to significantly improve the quality of their diet. They increased their intake of dietary fiber, improved the quality of fats in their diet and increased their consumption of vegetables, fruits and berries. Weight loss was also observed, although this was not an actual weight loss study. The participants were already very physically active at the start and managed to maintain their good exercise habits during the study. With these 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 than in the control group. The effects of lifestyle changes were equally significant for individuals regardless of whether they had low or high genetic risk.
“These findings encourage everyone to make lifestyle changes that promote health. Moreover, they demonstrate the effectiveness of group and Internet-based lifestyle guidance, saving healthcare resources,” says Assistant Professor Maria Lankinen from the University of Eastern Finland. first author of the study.
