Accommodating blood sugar level management can be challenging, but it can certainly is achievable through a series of simple lifestyle changes, habits and daily routines.
In fact, new research has revealed that exercising for just 150 minutes per week could reverse prediabetes and prevent progression to type 2 diabetes.
The study, published in Cardiovascular Diabetology – Endocrinology Reports, found that people who engaged in physical activity for over two and a half hours weekly were more than four times more likely to return to normal blood sugar levels.
Tracking 130 adults with prediabetes at a cardiovascular risk programme in Colombia between 2019 and 2023, the study also found that maintaining a healthy weight and exhibiting good glycaemic control also emerged as crucial factors in reversing the condition.
Incorporate less than a half an hour of exercise into your routine is simple
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The study revealed that 21.5 per cent of participants successfully reversed their prediabetes to normal blood sugar levels during the 366-day follow-up period.
Meanwhile, 64.6 per cent remained in the prediabetic state, whilst 13.8 per cent progressed to type 2 diabetes, with the study conducting quarterly assessments covering internal medicine, nutrition, psychology and physiotherapy consultations.
The programme also provided group education sessions led by healthcare professionals, focusing on healthy eating, physical activity and cardiovascular risk management.
Physical activity levels were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, with individualised dietary guidance provided to all participants, with who were overweight or obese being given a target of seven per cent weight loss.
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Several other factors were found to significantly reduce the likelihood of reversing prediabetes, including having a body mass index over 25 or a glycated haemoglobin level above six per cent.
Having a body mass index over 25 decreased the probability of returning to normal blood sugar levels by 75 per cent, while a glycated haemoglobin level exceeding six per cent reduced the chances by 86 per cent.
Age also played a role in the initial analysis, with participants aged 60 or above showing a 59 per cent lower probability of reversal. However, this factor lost statistical significance when adjusted for other variables.
The study also examined the glucose/triglyceride index as a marker of insulin resistance, finding that higher values were associated with lower reversal chances.
Approximately one in five adults are living with prediabetes
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Prediabetes is defined as having a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dL, or a glycated haemoglobin level between 5.7 per cent and 6.4 per cent. The condition is an intermediate state where blood sugar levels are elevated but not yet in the diabetic range.
Approximately one in five adults are living with prediabetes, which translates to more than 12 million people in country, according to Diabetes UK, and is at an "all-time high".
Further, around 6.3 million are expected to have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, although not every person is aware of their diagnosis.
As a result, the British charity demanded action to be taken to prevent such figures, writing to Sir Keir Starmer and Health Secretary Wes Streeting to incorporate early intervention in diabetes care and the prevention of type 2 diabetes into the Government's 10-Year Health Plan for England.
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