Changes to diet after diagnosis benefits diabetes patients

A new study by scientists at the University of Bristol has found that changes to your diet in the first year after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can offer similar benefits as altering both diet and amount of exercise taken.
The research showed that people who lost weight through dietary change with the assistance of a dietician experienced the same improvements in their management of blood sugar levels, as well as weight loss, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as people who modified both their diet and amount of physical activity levels, which was assessed as half an hour of brisk walking five times each week.
Both sets of patients saw around a 10 per cent improvement in control of blood sugar, and levels of cholesterol and triglyceride as compared with those who received routine care. It was also recognised that people suffering from type 2 diabetes preferred to make both dietary changes and increase their levels of exercise, rather than just one of these.
However, Rob Andrews, lead researcher on the study, commented “Getting people to exercise is quite difficult, and can be expensive.”
He added “What this study tells us is that if you only have a limited amount of money, in that first year of diagnosis, you should focus on getting the diet right .”