Diet and Exercise Delay Type 2 Diabetes

Millions of Americans who are overweight are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. This life-threatening disease affects 8 percent of the population age 20 and older, which is rapidly increasing. A 2002 study shows that diet and exercise can greatly prevent and delay the risk for diabetes, particularly people 60 and older. About 16 million people in the United States have diabetes, which causes kidney failure, limb amputations, and onset of blindness in adults. It is also a major cause of heart disease and stroke.