The results from a 16-year clinical trial aimed at reducing diabetes were released Monday. Hawaii played a role in the study of high-risk individuals, serving as one of the 27 clinical trial locations.
Diabetes costs the U.S. nearly 250 million a year. It has been linked to increased risk for eye, nerve and kidney problems along with heart disease.
The trial featured over 3000 participants nationwide and indicated the best way to prevent the disease is not through medication but lifestyle change. A low-fat diet combined with exercising at least 150 minutes per week provided a 27 percent reduction in diabetes compared to the 17 percent provided by the diabetes drug metformin alone.
Statewide over 113,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes. To help prevent the disease, nutritionists recommend eating low-fat whole foods and limiting sugary drinks. They say you can indulge in the occasional sweet treat but do not make it a regular habit.
Recent estimates say that unless drastic changes are made in American diets, 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes in 2050.