An analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus clinical trial, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet combined with moderate exercise and professional support cuts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%.
The study, coordinated by the University of Navarra, included 4,746 adults with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome, followed across more than 100 primary care centers throughout Spain, making it one of the largest diet-and-exercise diabetes prevention trials carried out in the country.
A related analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, also showed that this combination of low-calorie Mediterranean diet and exercise helps reduce visceral fat and preserve muscle mass in older adults — two factors that also affect long-term metabolic risk.