Vienna, Jan 28 (IANS): Type 2 diabetes is preventable in up to 60 percent of cases if early signs are recognised and acted upon, experts have said.

"Eight percent of the Austrian population suffers from diabetes but only two-thirds know they have it," Xinhua news agency quoted Vienna General Hospital's Thomas Stulnig as saying in a press conference Tuesday.

He added that late diagnosis leads to enormous health costs and 20 percent of patients have long-term damage by the time of diagnosis.

He said the type 2 form of diabetes usually develops slowly and can be prevented in the 60 percent of cases by an intensive lifestyle change.

Warning signs for onset of the condition include fat accumulation on the stomach, under two-and-a-half hours of exercise per week, increased blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, and abnormal blood fat levels.

Austrian Academic Institute of Nutritional Medicine (OeAIE) head Kurt Widhalm said the most important things to counter the condition are weight loss of five percent, a reduction in fat content in diet of 30 percent, a reduction in saturated fat consumption, increased fibre intake of more than 15 grams per day, and at least four hours of exercise per week.