Daily more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the US, a chronic condition marked by high levels of blood glucose that can lead to serious complications and premature death.

A study has however showed that diabetics who follow a healthy lifestyle may have better cardiovascular health and have the ability to properly maintain their blood glucose levels.

The study published in "Archives of Internal Medicine" looked at 5,145 participants who were overweight and diabetic and divided them into two groups.

The first group of participants changed their diet and followed an exercise regimen. The lifestyle changes were monitored and reinforced in regular intervals: weekly during the first 6 months, three times per month for the second 6 months, and twice per month for the remaining two years.

The second group took diabetes education classes and met in group classes three times per year.

After four years, the results indicated group one as having had lost the most weight, improved treadmill fitness, and had improved over the control group in all blood tests reducing their risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The researchers concluded that "there may be long-term beneficial effects from the four-year period in which intensive lifestyle intervention participants have been exposed to lower cardiovascular disease risk factors, as seen in other clinical trials."