Diet, exercise may be best for preventing diabetes in patients at risk for the disease.

Bloomberg News (6/17, Ostrow) reports that research presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting indicates that “diet and exercise remain the best bet for staving off diabetes in patients at risk for the disease.” Researchers found that “study participants who lost weight and increased physical activity had a 27 percent lower rate of developing Type 2 diabetes, compared with 17 percent of those given metformin, a first-line drug to lower blood sugar.” In a press briefing, Judy Fradkin, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said, “Diabetes is a disease that really develops across decades.” Fradkin added, “Although rates of diabetes have been increasing dramatically, outcomes for people with and at risk of diabetes have been improving dramatically.” The NIH funded the study.