A new American study, which took into account data collected for around 3,000 subjects over a period of three years, has revealed that maintaining a schedule of regular exercise and healthy eating can delay the onset of diabetes for as much as 10 years.

3,000 overweight people had taken part in a Diabetes Prevention Program which ran for three whole years, for the sake of the research. These people were then divided into three groups - one put on a regular diet and exercise program, another on Metformin, a popular diabetes drug and one placed on a placebo. In the end, it was recorded that the group which followed the diet and exercise routine reaped the most benefits.

William C. Knowler, MD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), said, "Weight loss is still the most important thing we have to recommend to overweight people at risk for type 2 diabetes. This study shows that the benefits of even modest weight loss can persist for many years".

The findings in the study have once again managed to highlight the importance of prevention and following a healthy lifestyle when it comes to diabetes.