Though type 2 diabetes is an inherited disease, habits can affect the risk of getting it. Obesity due to fatty and high-calorie foods, often in combination with limited activity, increases the risk considerably.
A new study at NTNU (The Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and St. Olav’s Hospital Centre of Obesity has followed people in the risk group for five years. Participants were offered organized physical activity and courses on the diet. “We’re seeing that follow-up from the health services in Norwegian municipalities over a long period can help reduce the risk of developing diabetes 2 and improve people’s health,” says researcher Ingrid Sordal Folling at NTNU’s Department of Health and Nursing.
Folling works in the Centre for Obesity Research, Surgical Clinic at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim. The study results have been published in the British Medical Journal.Taking action helpWorldwide, 350 million people have type 2 diabetes.