Now Published! Task Force Says Diet + Physical Activity Programs Help People at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

The Community Preventive Services Task Force announced that it recommends combined diet and physical activity promotion programs for people at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing new-onset diabetes. Combined diet and physical activity promotion programs also increase the likelihood of reverting to normoglycemia (normal blood sugar) and improve diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors, including overweight, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, and abnormal lipid profile.

Based on the evidence, combined diet and physical activity promotion programs are effective across a range of counseling intensities, settings, and implementers. Programs commonly include a weight loss goal, individual or group sessions (or both) about diet and exercise, meetings with a trained diet or exercise counselor (or both), and individually tailored diet or exercise plans (or both). Higher intensity programs lead to greater weight loss and reduction in new-onset diabetes.

Economic evidence indicates that combined diet and physical activity promotion programs to prevent type 2 diabetes among people at increased risk are cost-effective.

Read the Community Guide news release here. 

Why is this important?

The number of people with diabetes and prediabetes continues to increase. It is critical that new cases of diabetes are prevented. The current facts are clear:

• 29 million Americans have diabetes; 8.1 million (27.8%) of whom don’t know they have it.
• 86 million Americans have prediabetes, but only 11% know they have it.
• Diabetes can lead to other serious health complications including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and lower extremity amputations.
• Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Recent estimates show that direct and indirect costs for diabetes in the U.S. were $245 billion in 2012

The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a coordinated effort to bring evidence-based lifestyle change programs to Americans at high risk, as identified by the Community Preventive Services Task Force. 

The DPP’s evidence-based lifestyle change intervention can help individuals prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Participants in the interventions learn about making real lifestyle changes such as eating healthier, including physical activity into their daily lives, and improving problem-solving and coping skills. Both randomized clinical trials and real world implementation studies have proven that structured lifestyle change programs can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by about 60% in people with prediabetes.

Many partners throughout Colorado are working to increase access to the DPP in our state. To learn more about the DPP in Colorado, visit our website: https://www.colorado.gov/cdphe/diabetes-prevention-program