Is Diabetes Preventable…
Type 1 diabetes is not preventable, but the most common type 2 diabetes is preventable, especially if you are from a lesser age group. It’s important to make prevention a priority especially if you’re at risk for diabetes by being overweight or obese or having a family history of diabetes or pre-diabetes. You can’t do anything about your age or your genetic predisposition, but other factors like being overweight, abdominal obesity, sedentary lifestyle, eating habits and smoking are up to you. Your lifestyle choices can prevent type 2 diabetes or at least delay its onset until a much later age. If there is diabetes in your family, you should be careful not to put on weight or increase your waistline over the years.
Diabetes prevention is as simple as eating more healthy food, being more active and losing extra weight. Trying to prevent diabetes also reduces the chances of getting other diseases like hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.
Consider these diabetes prevention tips..
Losing weight:
Losing the extra weight is the cornerstone of your diabetes prevention attempt, every bit you lose will add up to your good health. By losing around 7-10% of the initial body weight, along with regular exercise you can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 60%
Eat Right – Make healthier choices:
Low-carb, low glycemic index diet or other crash diets may help you lose weight at first. But their effectiveness at preventing diabetes and their long-term effects aren’t known. And by excluding or limiting a particular food group, you may be deprived of essential nutrients. Instead, make variety and portion control as a part of your healthy eating plan.
A. Eating plenty of fiber may help..
Reduces your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. Lowers your risk of heart disease. Promotes weight loss by helping you feel full. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts.
B. Go for whole grains..
Whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains.
Physical Activity:
Just brisk walking for 150 minutes per week will help you to, lose weight, lower your blood sugar & boost your insulin sensitivity — which helps to keep your blood sugar within a normal range.
Quit Smoke & Limit alcohol consumption:
Smokers are roughly 50% more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers and heavy smokers have an even higher risk. Excess alcohol intake also increases the risk, reducing the consumption is important.
Optimal Sleep:
Sleeping well for 7 to 8 hours per day and stick to a sleep schedule, where you go to bed and get up at the same time everyday is also important in reducing the risk of diabetes.
Stress Management:
Stress has been linked to several ailments, mainly depression and diabetes. Effective stress management play a role in the prevention of the diabetes.
Diseases can rarely be eliminated through early diagnosis or good treatment, but prevention can eliminate disease…
— Denis Burkitt