Lifestyle interventions


Cost-effective tobacco control measures

Tobacco consumption is the second leading risk factor for death worldwide. It is estimated that currently 4.9 million people die each year due to tobacco-related diseases and, if current trends in tobacco consumption continue, this death toll will double in 20 years. As research continues into the effects of tobacco on health, the list of conditions that are caused or compounded by tobacco has expanded. There is nowadays evidence that almost every organ in the body is affected by tobacco smoking. Effective control of tobacco consumption has been seen in

The dietetics of smoking cessation in people with diabetes


The Mediterranean diet and the prevention of diabetes

In the 1950s, the relationship between dietary habits and cardiovascular disease was explored for the first time in an epidemiological study: the Seven Countries Study, which is considered a milestone of research in cardiology and nutrition. It was found that cardiovascular disease was 50% less common in the populations living in the Mediterranean area than in those living in northern Europe or the USA. The marked difference in the diets of the respective populations largely accounted for this disparity in rates of cardiovascular disease. In this article, Gabriele Riccardi

The Signal System: an empowering tool for healthy food choices

If the growing burden of obesity-driven type 2 diabetes is to be stabilized or reduced, the general public must receive adequate information about healthy eating. However, non-compliance with nutrition advice continues to hamper diabetes care. When it is available, this advice is traditionally given in standardized 24-hour menus as a list of ‘don’ts’. People are asked to keep a running count of the carbohydrates or calories they consume throughout the day. It is therefore not surprising that nutrition advice is perceived by many as being difficult to follow;

Diabetes care in China: meeting the challenge




The nutrition transition and the global shift towards obesity

Populations worldwide are becoming more corpulent. The levels of overweight and obesity in many low- to middle-income countries such as Mexico, Egypt, and South Africa rival that of the country used as the benchmark for this problem, the USA. Moreover, the rates of increase in obesity in these countries are double to quadruple those in the USA. In this article, Barry Popkin reports on the impact of important shifts in nutritional patterns and the trend towards inactivity.



World Diabetes Day 2000

World Diabetes Day 2000 focused on “Diabetes and Lifestyle in the New Millennium”. It was an occasion to (re)discover the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the ways in which to lead such a lifestyle. The impact of lifestyle on diabetes cannot be under-estimated and the theme in 2000 was the occasion to re-address this issue.

A cultural approach to diabetes therapy in the Middle East

The Middle East comprises countries such as Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Autonomous Territories and Syria, and contains several ethnic and religious groups. Moslem Arabs, however, are, by far, the largest population group and they form the dominant culture. Certain values belonging to this culture serve to make acceptance of diabetes nutritional therapy difficult. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that people with diabetes in the Middle East have to survive and try to be an accepted part of the society in which they live.