Genes play a role in type 2 diabetes, but they don’t determine the outcome. A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that group-based and online lifestyle counseling helped middle-aged and older men improve their diets and lower their diabetes risk, even among those carrying dozens of risk genes.
The T2D-GENE study, which was published in the European Journal of Nutrition, followed men with impaired fasting blood sugar who were offered lifestyle counseling over three years. The counseling, delivered in group sessions and through a web portal, encouraged participants to eat more fiber, whole grains, berries, vegetables, fish and plant-based oils while cutting back on sausages, high-fat cheeses, low-fiber breads, sweets and butter. By the end of the study, men in the counseling group were making healthier food choices than those in the control group.
These changes mattered most for participants with a high genetic predisposition to diabetes. In particular, men who carried a known risk gene (TCF7L2) benefitted strongly when their fiber intake met nutrition recommendations.
“Our new findings show that group-based and online counseling is sufficient to support lifestyle changes among individuals with a high genetic risk of type 2 diabetes,” said doctoral researcher Ulla Tolonen of the University of Eastern Finland.
The research combined diet records with biomarker testing, measuring plasma alkylresorcinol, a marker of whole grain intake, to validate reported changes. Blood sugar and diabetes risk were assessed with glucose tolerance tests, and genetic risk was measured using a score based on 76 known risk genes.
The results reinforce what other studies have long shown: type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed, through lifestyle changes. What’s new here is the confirmation that accessible, resource-efficient programs, like group sessions or digital counseling, can deliver meaningful results, even for those most at risk.
This study was supported by the Academy of Finland, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, the Diabetes Research Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation and the Juho Vainio Foundation. Additional support came from State Research Funding, the University of Eastern Finland (including Kuopio University Hospital) and the Doctoral School of Health Sciences.