Scientific study reveals the one major way you can stop Type 2 diabetes in its tracks

A scientific study has revealed there is one major way you can stop Type 2 diabetes in its tracks.

Approximately 37.3 million people in the US, around 11.3 percent of the population, have been diagnosed with the condition and of these cases, around 90 to 95 percent have type 2 diabetes.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, it occurs when the body can't use insulin properly and suffers persistent high blood sugar levels.

Without adequate treatment, it can lead to more severe conditions like heart disease, kidney disease and stroke, and is considered a chronic long-term disease, meaning it cannot be reversed and patients must manage it their entire lives.

Preventing the condition from taking hold should clearly be of utmost importance for all of us, and while genetics often play a role in insulin resistance, there are also lifestyle habits that can increase the chances of Type 2 diabetes, including excess body fat, little physical activity, a diet of mostly highly processed foods, poor sleep and chronic stress.

Type 2 diabetes must be managed for life (Getty Images)

Now, a new peer-reviewed scientific study has revealed the best way to prevent Type 2 diabetes from taking hold.

Back in 1996, the US Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) invited 3,234 adults with prediabetes to a randomised clinical trial and found their likelihood of developing Type 2 was reduced by a whopping 58 percent by following this specific lifestyle change compared to a placebo over a period of three years - while medication called metformin reduced the development by 31 percent.

The lifestyle change centered around moderate weight loss and increased physical activity.

Patients are required to inject insulin (Getty Images)

Researchers from the University of New Mexico Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the School of Medicine put that theory to the test by recently following up on the study, stating: "We sought to assess the long-term effects and potential heterogeneity of treatment effects over approximately 21 years of follow-up."

And what they found was that the results stood the test of time - essentially meaning a healthy lifestyle far outperforms the medication at preventing the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

In their paper published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, researcher Vallabh Raj Shah said they found incredible results, with the benefits of making lifestyle changes spanning the decades.

Shah said: "The data suggests that those people who didn't get diabetes also didn't get diabetes after 22 years."

In the follow-up, they found diabetes incidence rate was reduced among the initial group that followed an intensive lifestyle intervention programme, with many going on to enjoy many 'diabetes-free' years.

Commenting on the original study, Shah added: "Within three years, they had to stop the study because lifestyle was better than metformin.

The study found lifestyle changes can make a huge difference (Getty Images)

"That means lifestyle, which everybody is banking on, is more effective – that is the news.”

According to The Cleveland Clinic, exercise is 'even more important' for people with diabetes because it can lower blood sugar levels, burn calories to promote weight loss, improve blood flow and blood pressure and help with stress management.

As for diet, it recommends eating lean protein, like chicken, eggs, fish and turkey, non-starchy vegetables like broccoli and green beans, healthy fats like avocados and nuts and complex carbohydrates like beans, berries and sweet potato.