Not too long ago, the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study that included forty-one thousand men. These men, who had no history of diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular problems, were followed over a period of twelve years. During this time period, they filled out surveys and answered questions about their eating habits and exercise to determine if there was a connection between diabetes and consuming dairy foods. It was concluded that consuming increased levels of dairy products decreased the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in men.

In this large study of approximately forty-one thousand men, a little over twelve hundred of them were diagnosed with diabetes for the first time during the study. The study found that these men did not consume at least two servings of dairy products a day.

This development is important, especially to the almost forty-one million Americans who have diminished glucose tolerance, because this condition causes them to be at a higher risk of diabetes. Glucose intolerance issues will continue to increase as the population ages, more and more people become obese, and exercise is not a regular activity. Thus, diabetes prevention is possible once you realize this and consider about including more dairy in your diet.

Just consuming two servings of dairy products a day caused a nine-percent drop in the diabetes risk for each serving consumed. The study concluded that the highest benefit came from consuming products that were labeled low fat. Two servings are recommended for most individuals who do not have other health issues that involve dairy products.

This does not mean that you have to drink two servings of skim milk to get the benefits. Other low fat dairy products, including ice cream, contributed to the decreased risk. This is good news for all of you ice cream lovers out there, because there are many yummy, low-fat ice cream options available. All you have to do is go to the grocery store and check out the ice cream freezer. You will be pleasantly surprised at all of the choices.

There are other things that you need to keep in mind to decrease your diabetes risk as well. This includes your weight, activity level, and your overall diet plan. Diabetes is usually associated with being overweight. Hence, for diabetes prevention, make sure that you do not pack in the extra kilos.

The statistics for diabetes are staggering. In America, there are over 16 million people with Type 2 diabetes. They form part of the 135 million people around the world suffering from this disease. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will need to spend a great deal of time, effort and money managing it. Thus it is of utmost importance that you learn about diabetes prevention in the first place.