Time for a diabetes tune-up

5 takeaways from the 2023 diabetes guidelines.

At nearly 300 pages long, the recently released 2023 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care are quite comprehensive. And given the strong link between obesity and diabetes, one major theme is weight loss. For the estimated 37 million Americans currently living with diabetes, what other changes are worth noting?

Collaborating on lifestyle change is key

There aren’t any dramatic shifts in this update, says Harvard Medical School professor Dr. David M. Nathan, who co-authored and chaired earlier versions of some of the guidelines, which have been published annually for more than three decades. “Most of the standard lifestyle advice for managing diabetes are the same common-sense things your grandmother told you: eat your vegetables, go outside and exercise, and get enough sleep.”

One subtle shift in the association’s advice over the past five to 10 years, however, is an overarching effort to make care for people with diabetes more person-centered, says Dr. Nathan, who directs the Diabetes Center and the Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. “That means collaborating with your physician to figure out a lifestyle and medication plan that works for you,” he says. “Doctors don’t stand by your dinner table or bedside telling you what to do. They can help you make plans and informed decisions to…