New Clinical Recommendations for Treating America's Largest Healthcar...( HOUSTON May 14 -- Diabetes expe....),Health

HOUSTON, May 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Diabetes experts today issued new recommendations for the treatment of prediabetes, a condition affecting 57 million Americans, at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 18th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress. These clinical recommendations include specific instructions for lifestyle intervention and medication.

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They come as a result of the first-ever prediabetes consensus conference, which was held last July in Washington, D.C. At the conference, 23 international experts in diabetes and metabolic disorders reviewed all existing scientific data to examine the status of the disease, facts about related complications, what happens to people who progress to diabetes, economic implications of early intervention, and what further studies were needed. After analyzing all available data, their recommendations called for specific guidelines on both lifestyle and pharmaceutical intervention where appropriate.

Some suggested lifestyle modifications for people with prediabetes include:

• Weight Reduction - Prediabetes patients should attempt to reduce their weight by five to ten percent, with long-term maintenance at this level. This modest degree of weight loss may result in decreased fat mass, blood pressure and glucose.
• A program of moderate to intense physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes daily, at least 5 days a week.
• A diet that includes calorie restriction, increased fiber intake, and possible limitations in carbohydrate intake. Dietary recommendations specifically for blood pressure include lowe
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