Abstract 10866: Lifestyle Factors Predict Further Development of Diabetes: A Large Prospective Population Based-study in Finland

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether the five major CVD related lifestyle factors - smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, consumption of vegetables and obesity - predict the future development of diabetes.

Methods: Study cohorts included 17,005 Finnish men and 19,078 women who were 25 to 74 years of age and free of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke at baseline. Baseline measurements were done in 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002, and included a self-administered questionnaire on medical history and health related lifestyle factors. Height, weight and blood pressure were measured using standardized methods. Healthy lifestyle factors were defined: (1) not smoking, (2) moderate alcohol consumption, (3) regular physical activity, (4) daily use of vegetables, and (5) normal weight (BMI<25). Data on the development of diabetes during the follow-up were obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Register and the National Social Insurance Institution’s Drug Register. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine the associations between the number healthy lifestyle factors and development of diabetes. During a mean follow-up of 13.7 years (until the end of December 31, 2007), 950 men and 759 women developed diabetes.

Results: The multivariable-adjusted (age, study year, and education) hazard ratios of diabetes associated with adherence to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 healthy lifestyle factors were 1.00, 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-0.84), 0.44 (0.30-0.64), 0.38 (0.26-0.55), 0.25 (0.16-0.38) and 0.13 (0.07-0.80) (Ptrend <0.001) for men, and 1.00, 0.53 (0.40-0.69), 0.41 (0.32-0.54), 0.27 (0.20-0.36), 0.17 (0.11-0.24) and 0.06 (0.02-0.17) (Ptrend <0.001) for women, respectively.

Conclusions: Five modifiable lifestyle factors: non-smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, physical activity, eating vegetables regularly and keeping normal weight have a remarkable effect on the development of diabetes. Having all five healthy lifestyles reduced the risk of diabetes to one tenth compared to those having none. Affecting these lifestyle factors has a huge potential for diabetes prevention, both at individual and population level.