Proper diet can counter diabetes, high health insurance costs

A recent study illustrates how important proper diet can be when it comes to holding down the cost of health insurance.

The study, conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, found that a significant number of people with type 2 diabetes are not following healthy diets, which often aggravates their conditions over time.

"I thought we were going to find people who, because they have a chronic disease, were more educated about and more motivated than the average American to eat healthy, but that’s not the case," Dr. Mara Vitolins said in a university announcement.

The study found that 93 percent of participants tend to consume more than their recommended daily intakes of fat, while 85 percent consume more saturated fat than recommended and 92 percent consume too much sodium.

The nation's diet issues have become so pronounced that the growing number of young diabetics has led many healthcare professionals to discard the term "adult onset diabetes."

Dietary patterns like this are also major contributors to type 2 diabetes in the first place. Since this is considered a pre-existing condition under many health insurance plans, the condition often results in higher premiums as well as problems like heart disease and other medical issues.