The prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus

There is a worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes, with numbers predicted to reach over 210 million by the year 2010. Important risk factors for type 2 diabetes are obesity, physical inactivity and dietary factors. Recent evidence shows that type 2 diabetes can certainly be delayed, and possibly prevented, by intensive lifestyle intervention, and therapies including acarbose, metformin, orlistat and the glitazones in selected populations. However, the UK has not had a successful record in trials which aim to prevent diabetes, and therefore implementation of effective and successful intensive lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes may prove difficult in the UK. Other 'non-glucose lowering' agents, such as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, may have a role to play in the prevention of diabetes.