CHICAGO, (Reuters) – People on the brink of  developing diabetes who get a lot of support and encouragement  to diet and exercise can turn things around and avoid the  disease, US researchers said on Wednesday.

“Millions of people could delay diabetes for years and  possibly prevent the disease altogether if they lost a modest  amount of weight through diet and increased physical activity,”  said Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of  Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

In the United States, about 11 percent of adults — 24  million people — have diabetes. Most have type 2, the kind  linked with a poor diet and lack of exercise.