Lifestyle strategies for weight control: experience from the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study.
Currently, in many European countries more than half the adult population is overweight; it hass become 'abnormal' to be of 'normal weight'. The risk of type 2 diabetes, CVD, hypertension and certain forms of cancer increase with increasing weight. Biological evolution has produced body-fat-regulating mechanisms that are more powerful in protecting against weight loss than against weight gain. The current environment offers constant availability of affordable palatable energy-rich foods, with no need to consume the energy through physical activity. The 'obesogenic' environment is to some extent a political issue, but it has been shown that the healthcare system can also have a role in preventing obesity-related morbidity. The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study was the first controlled randomised study to show that individualised lifestyle counselling of individuals with high risk of developing type 2 diabetes can influence diet, physical activity and body weight, and that type 2 diabetes can be prevented, or at least postponed. Most importantly, lifestyle changes do not have to be extreme. If the population would adopt a lifestyle in line with the official nutrition recommendations, the obesity and diabetes trend could at least be stabilised.
Lindström
Jaana
J
National Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion, Diabetes & Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Helsinki, Finland. jaana.lindstrom@ktl.fi
Peltonen
Markku
M
Tuomilehto
Jaakko
J
D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005387:Finland; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic