[Impact of lifestyle changes on hypertension and diabetes]

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are of great importance for morbidity and mortality in Germany. At a current prevalence of 20% of adults for hypertension, and at least 5-8% for diabetes, there appears to be an increasing tendency. This demographic development resulting in an increase in the need for treatment is aligned against a decrease in resources in the public health sector. The present article takes a look at the nonpharmacological basic treatment of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. For so-called lifestyle interventions such as weight reduction, dietary changes, etc., an impact on blood pressure and metabolism has been shown, which in many cases is comparable with that of medical treatment. A number of studies have shown that these measures are successful in terms of the primary and secondary prevention of sequelae.