Last week, the Food and Drug Administration decided to keep the diabetes drug Avandia on the market. Avandia may cause fluid retention that can lead to heart failure and other side effects, yet doctors often prescribe it and other drugs to treat Type 2 diabetes instead of putting enough emphasis on diet.

Diet coupled with exercise has been proved to be the best way both to prevent and to control diabetes — the combo can even reverse the disease—and a brand-new study provides further evidence.

LiveScience.com reports that the study called Look AHEAD (Action for HEAlth in Diabetes) found that lifestyle changes help people with Type 2 diabetes control blood sugar levels, lose weight, and reduce their risk for heart disease. The study includes lifestyle changes that entailed consuming fewer than 1,800 calories a day, and exercising for 30 minutes a day.

Over four years, the 2,570 overweight and obese people in the study lost 6 percent of their original weight, lowered their blood pressure, and raised their levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

To read the full LiveScience.com story — go here.