People who get plenty of vitamin D can cut their chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 55 per cent. Researchers from the Warwick Medical School reviewed 28 existing studies on almost 100,000 people looking at vitamin D levels among middle-aged and elderly people. They also found high levels of vitamin D reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 33 per cent…

New research suggests that a period of careful eating and regular physical activity could prevent diabetes for up to a decade. US researchers followed up nearly 3,000 overweight people who had taken part in a three-year diabetes prevention programme. They had initially been divided into three groups, one undertaking a diet and exercise programme, the second taking metformin and the third a placebo. The report noted it was the dieters who reaped the most benefit.

More research is required to establish whether Chinese herbal medicines can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, according to Cochrane Researchers. Although herbal medicines are widely used in Asian countries to treat pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance or IGT), the precursor of the disease, researchers say there is still not enough hard scientific evidence to confidently recommend their use.

For men with type 2 diabetes, a cell type linked to allergic inflammation is closely linked to a key indicator of diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy), suggests a study in the November Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). “Allergy is a common disease that is increasing worldwide, so our findings may have important implications for diabetic nephropathy,” comments Michiaki Fukui, MD (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan).

Systematic, progressive resistance training - also called strength training - is a safe and efficient way for middle-aged and older adults to improve their health. A Virginia Tech led research team that includes experts in behavior, exercise, physiology, and medicine is designing a program to help pre-diabetic adults begin and, most important, maintain resistance training in order to prevent diabetes.

Most healthy 25 year olds don’t stay up at night worrying whether they are going to develop diabetes in middle age. The disease is not on their radar, and middle age is a lifetime away. As it turns out, many should be concerned.

More than 2.2 million people in Britain suffer from type 2 diabetes*, a chronic progressive disease which usually affects the over 40s. The number of people diagnosed with the disease has increased dramatically in recent years and this has been linked to the increase in sedentary lifestyles and obesity.

A team of scientists from Germany and the US found that vitamin C and E supplements may undo the benefits of exercise on diabetes risk and glucose metabolism. It would seem that exercise-induced oxidative stress helps the body defend itself against stress and metabolize carbodydrates more effectively, said the researchers.

Gifford Slater knows that the 400-calorie, pre-packaged apple pies he bought from convenience stores as he traveled throughout central Vermont selling ads for WDEV radio contributed to his type 2 diabetes. “I brought it on myself,” Slater said. “Before I lost my weight, people looked more at my chin and my stomach. Now they are looking at me.

Scientists are investigating a range of weird and wonderful complementary therapies that have the potential to help treat Type 2 diabetes. The roots of a cucumber-like vegetable, a herb found in the forests of India and extracts from the bark of a Himalayan plant are just three of the surprising research subjects being presented at Diabetes UK’s Annual Professional Conference.