Experts say achieving good diabetes control is key to diabetes management and also helps prevent people with the condition from developing life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputation and blindness.

They say while decisions about treatment need to be made on an individual basis, the research shows that considering using insulin early when people are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes might be an additional way to achieve good diabetes management.

In another study Chinese researchers have found that drinking less alcohol, eating more vegetables and exercising can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

The study conducted over a 20 year period found that diet and exercise reduced the incidence of diabetes by about 43 percent among 577 high-risk Chinese adults.

At the end of the study period 80 percent of those who changed what they ate and exercised more, had diabetes, compared with 93 percent who made no changes.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 380 million people will have a form of diabetes by 2025 as more developing nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

The research is published in the medical journal The Lancet.