...As anyone who has ever dieted knows, Barrios’ journey is remarkable. Changing a lifestyle is very, very hard. But the journey of the Diabetes Prevention Program itself is just as remarkable. In 2002, the New England Journal of Medicine published results of a randomized controlled trial comparing two interventions designed to keep people at high risk for Type 2 diabetes from developing the disease. Participants who took the drug metformin had a 31 percent lower incidence of developing diabetes than people who took a placebo. But far more effective was a lifestyle-change program: participants met individually with nutritionists, exercise physiologists or behavioral psychologists weekly for six months, plus monthly classes afterwards.
...Barrios joined a Spanish-language group with four other women. They met around a conference table at Open Door. Alvarez used the Program’s formal curriculum: What are healthy foods? How can I be active? What can I do besides eat to alleviate stress? How can I eat healthy food when I eat out ? How do I deal with setbacks? Participants were given a calorie and fat counter book, and had to record everything they ate.
...This group had a 58 percent lower incidence rate — so effective that the study was stopped early, and all participants offered classes.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/at-a-ymca-near-you-a-course-for-a-diabetic-nation/
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