Can Diabetes Be Stopped With Diet And Exercise?

Many people, including health experts, believe it can. There has always been a heated debate in the diabetes community about whether or not diabetes can be 'cured.' As far as Type 2 diabetes, it seems it can at least be prevented, and even reversed. Is this the same as 'cured?' Does it matter what we call it, as long as we're healthier?

Simply put, it's an epidemic, and it's driven by sedentary lifestyle and obesity, the upswing of which closely parallels the growth of the disease, says Dr. Kimberley Bourne, an Orlando, Fla., endocrinologist who treats diabetics.

But here's some good news: Most cases of Type 2 -- once called 'adult onset' -- are preventable. You can head off the disease with lifestyle changes, says Dr. Robert Rizza, president of the american diabetes association. "In fact, if you stay lean and fit, you reduce your changes of getting the disease by 95 percent. It's almost totally preventable."

The prescription? Diet and exercise.

Do you know someone with diabetes, or do you have it? What are you doing to improve, or prevent, diabetes?