Abstract
Background: Diabetes is a rising threat that has become prevalent in the whole world; meanwhile, there are so many differences in Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes in both pathophysiology and management. Though, Type 1 diabetes treatment depends mainly on insulin, self management with the help of exercises and diet is quite important in both the types and especially significant for preventing Type 2 diabetes. This piece of the news article takes a look at clinical and real-world research on how well lifestyle change interventions work in the management and prevention of diabetes.
Aim: With a view of determining how lifestyle modifications can help minimize and/or control Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, data from clinical trials, as well as real life observations were compared.
Method: The research involved performing of systematic review of randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, as well as observational studies. The selection included diet and exercise interventions, and the effects measured included lowering of blood glucose levels, enhancement of insulin sensitivity, reduction in HbA1c levels and weight loss. Literature involving both Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetic patients was selected for review, the most research considering long-term efficacy.
Results: In Type 1 diabetes, lifestyle measures enhance the role of insulin through enhancing its effectiveness by increasing its sensitivity and glycemic control. There are other real-world proofs that those reforms can cut down the requirement for insulin and enhance the patients’ overall wellbeing in the long run. For instance, Type 2 diabetes intervention in clinical trials revealed that modification in lifestyle proved effective in decreasing the risk of development of diabetes in population at higher risk and enhance glycemic control, weight loss in diagnosed patients. Studies done on a long-term basis in the real world showed long-term effectiveness but patients’ compliance was not ideal.
Conclusion: Diet and exercise derived from lifestyle modifications enable effective prevention and treatment of diabetes especially Type 2 diabetes. Supplementing the standard care with lifestyle modifications in addition to medications have better prognosis and yet long-term compliance is a challenge that needs to be addressed through proper patient counselling. There is the necessity to compare the results of the investigations conducted over a longer period and to generate the individualized lifestyle interventions for diabetes.
Keywords: Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, lifestyle interventions, diet, exercise, glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, prevention, real-world studies.