T2D prevention by physical activity or diet or both proved cost-effective according to accepted thresholds , except for five inconclusive studies , three on diabetes prevention and two on obesity control .
This confirms that lifestyle interventions for the primary prevention of diabetes are cost-effective .
To summarize key findings of economic evaluations of lifestyle interventions for the primary prevention of  type 2 diabetes ( T2D ) in high-risk subjects .
Long-term effects of a randomised trial of a 6-year lifestyle intervention in impaired glucose tolerance on diabetes-related microvascular complications: the China Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Outcome Study
Aims /hypothesisWe determined the effects of 6 years of lifestyle intervention in persons with impaired glucose tolerance ( IGT ) on the development of retinopathy , nephropathy and neuropathy over a 20 year period . Methods In 1986 , 577 adults with IGT from 33 clinics in Da Qing , China were r and omly assigned by clinic to a control group or one of three lifestyle intervention groups ( diet , exercise , and diet plus exercise ) . Active intervention was carried out from 1986 to 1992 . In 2006 we conducted a 20 year follow-up study of the original participants to compare the incidence of microvascular complications in the combined intervention group vs the control group . Results Follow-up information was obtained on 542 ( 94 % ) of the 577 original participants . The cumulative incidence of severe retinopathy was 9.2 % in the combined intervention group and 16.2 % in the control group ( p = 0.03 , log-rank test ) . After adjusting for clinic and age , the incidence of severe retinopathy was 47 % lower in the intervention group than the control group ( hazard rate ratio 0.53 , 95 % CI 0.29–0.99 , p = 0.048 ) . No significant differences were found in the incidence of severe nephropathy ( hazard rate ratio 1.05 , 95 % CI 0.16–7.05 , intervention vs control , p = 0.96 ) or in the prevalence of neuropathy ( 8.6 % vs 9.1 % , p = 0.89 ) among the 20 year survivors . Conclusions /interpretationLifestyle intervention for 6 years in IGT was associated with a 47 % reduction in the incidence of severe , vision-threatening retinopathy over a 20 year interval , primarily due to the reduced incidence of diabetes in the intervention group . However , similar benefits were not seen for nephropathy or neuropathy
T2D prevention by physical activity or diet or both proved cost-effective according to accepted thresholds , except for five inconclusive studies , three on diabetes prevention and two on obesity control .
This confirms that lifestyle interventions for the primary prevention of diabetes are cost-effective .
To summarize key findings of economic evaluations of lifestyle interventions for the primary prevention of  type 2 diabetes ( T2D ) in high-risk subjects .