Researchers say that people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes who participated in a diet and exercise program for three years reduced their risk of developing the disease by 58% compared with those who received a placebo. At the same time, participants placed on the diabetes drug metformin saw their risk decline by nearly a third. Seven years after the trial ended, the risk of diabetes for the diet and exercise group was over a third lower than the placebo group. Researchers say the data point to the importance of lifestyle interventions in the prevention of obesity-linked diseases like type 2 diabetes.