Treating Type 2 Diabetes by Reducing Postprandial Glucose Elevations: A Paradigm Shift in Lifestyle Modification

Conventional lifestyle modification in the management of type 2 diabetes focuses on weight loss, through caloric restriction and exercise, to reduce insulin resistance. This approach is limited because some people either do not need to lose weight, do not want to lose weight, cannot lose weight, or cannot maintain weight loss over a lifetime. This study proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of a lifestyle modification that focuses on reducing post-meal blood glucose (BG) elevations instead of weight loss. It works by teaching participants to: 1) choose low glycemic load foods that do not significantly increase their blood glucose, and 2) increase their routine physical activity after meals when it can offset post-meal blood glucose elevations. The study will also evaluate the role feedback about blood glucose fluctuations can play in improving the effectiveness of this program.