For those over age 60, the
results were even more striking. Their risk of getting diabetes dropped by 71 % when they made healthy changes. The benefits were so clear that the study ended a year early, after just three years. Participants in the comparison group were encouraged to also make the healthy changes to reduce their diabetes risk.
DPP has had a lasting influence on medical care in the U.S. and around the world. Since its initial results were reported, lifestyle change programs based on the findings have become widely available across the country.
A 10-year follow-up study showed that people in the original treatment group delayed diabetes by about four years. A later study found benefits even 22 years after the study began, with people in the lifestylechange group having about a 2 5 % reduced risk of developing diabetes.
“Even though the initial treatments lasted only three years, participants did have longer-term health benefits,”
says Dr. William Knowler, an NIH diabetes expert.
NIH-supported researchers continue to study new and proven ways to help people prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. But we already know that taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes can lower your risk of developing diabetes-related health problems.
