A study from the University of Eastern Finland brings to light more of the relationship between Type 2 diabetes and lifestyle: a healthy diet and regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, even for those with a high genetic predisposition. This means that everyone, regardless of genetic risk, can benefit from lifestyle changes.
Previous research has shown that lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 diabetes, but it was unclear if these changes could benefit those with a strong genetic predisposition. The T2D-GENE Trial, a three-year lifestyle intervention involving nearly 1,000 men between the ages of 50 to 75, aimed to answer this question.
At baseline, all participants had elevated fasting glucose levels at the start. Over 600 men participated in the lifestyle intervention, while the rest served as a control group. All participants were classified into either high or low genetic risk groups based on 76 known gene variants linked to type 2 diabetes.
Men in the intervention group received health-promoting lifestyle guidance through group meetings and a specially designed web portal. Importantly, neither the participants nor the researchers knew each individual’s genetic risk during the study, ensuring unbiased lifestyle guidance for all.
Those in the lifestyle intervention significantly improved their diet quality by increasing dietary fiber, improving fat quality, and consuming more vegetables, fruits, and berries. While weight loss was also observed, this was not the primary goal of the study. Participants maintained high levels of physical activity throughout the trial, which helped to improve glucose metabolism.
The study found a significantly lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the lifestyle intervention group compared to the control group. Remarkably, the benefits of lifestyle changes were equally effective for individuals with both high and low genetic risks.
This study shows clearly that type 2 diabetes is almost purely a disease of lifestyle choices, especially that of a poor diet. Modern mainstream media has convinced people that they are a victim of genetics when in reality, as supported by this study, genetic determinants are almost non-relevant when it comes to type 2 diabetes, and that a healthy plant heavy diet can prevent this medical condition.
So man up and change your lifestyle. Eat your vegetables. And stop making excuses for having type 2 diabetes.
The findings were published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
MA Lankinen et al. Effects of Genetic Risk on Incident Type 2 Diabetes and Glycemia: The T2D-GENE Lifestyle Intervention Trial. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (2024). https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae422
