People with diabetes who adhere to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other healthy lifestyle practices have a significantly lower risk of microvascular complications according to a recent study published in ‘Jama Network Open’.

      This prospective cohort study included patients with type 2 diabetes who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the time of diabetes diagnosis and completed the diabetes supplementary questionnaires in the Nurses’ Health Study (in 2000 and 2005) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (in 2000, 2004, and 2008) in the US. Data were analyzed from April to August 2021. Diet and lifestyle factors before and after diabetes diagnosis were assessed by validated questionnaires. Physician-diagnosed microvascular complications including diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, and foot disorders were self-reported at questionnaire surveys.

      Greater improvement in lifestyle factors from before to after diabetes diagnosis was observed to be significantly associated with a lower risk of overall microvascular complications. Each increment in the number of low-risk lifestyle factors was associated with a 6% (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.98) lower risk for any microvascular complications and a 9% (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.96) lower risk for diabetic neuropathy. The study stated that a substantial reduction in the burden of microvascular complications is associated with adopting a healthy lifestyle among patients with type 2 diabetes.