Preventing diabetes: can it be done?

The challenge in preventing type 1 diabetes is figuring out who will get it before most of the damage is done. The immune system may be attacking the insulin-producing cells (beta cells) up to 5 years before the blood sugar goes up. By then only about 10% of the beta cells are left. Scientists are also discovering how challenging it is to stop the immune sytem from completing the attack. The research goes on...

Prevention of type 2 diabetes is easier to study because it's easier to predict who will likely get it. Studies compare treatment groups to a group of people who are not given any specific treatment to lower their chance of getting diabetes and are given vague directions to exercise and eat healthy. The research results are as follows:
metformin 2000 mg daily reduces frequency of diabetes by 30-40%
specific diet + exercise program reduces diabetes 50-70%
strictly following diet + exercise goals reduces diabetes by 90%
Actos 45 mg daily reduces diabetes ~70%
Avandia 8 mg daily reduces diabetes ~70%

So it's important to know what type of diabetes you might get in order to know how you might prevent it. It's also important to know that even with the most effectve prevention, it doesn't work all the time.