A healthier lifestyle could ensure that 90% of the cases of type II (adult onset) diabetes could be prevented. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (September 13, 2001;345) found that over 90% of the diabetes cases found in 85,000 female nurses could be attributed to eating habits and lifestyle.
Type II diabetes exists when the body does not properly use the hormone insulin and differs from type I diabetes where the body does not produce insulin. Type II diabetes is closely linked to obesity. In the study, the more overweight a nurse was, the more likely she was diabetic. Even having a weight at the high end of the normal range nearly tripled the risk. On the other hand, physical activity showed a strong protective effect against diabetes. Exercising seven or more hours each week reduced the chance of becoming diabetic by half.
