Preventing Diabetes: A Comprehensive Guide
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that affects millions of people worldwide². Unmanaged diabetes may lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and other serious conditions³. But the good news is, type 2 diabetes is largely preventable by taking several simple steps⁵.
1. Lose Extra Weight
Losing weight reduces the risk of diabetes¹. People in one large study reduced their risk of developing diabetes by almost 60% after losing approximately 7% of their body weight with changes in exercise and diet¹. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with prediabetes lose at least 7% to 10% of their body weight to prevent disease progression¹.
2. Be More Physically Active
There are many benefits to regular physical activity¹. Exercise can help you lose weight, lower your blood sugar, and boost your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range¹. Goals for most adults include:
- Aerobic exercise: Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise — such as brisk walking, swimming, biking or running — on most days for a total of at least 150 minutes a week¹.
- Resistance exercise: Resistance exercise — at least 2 to 3 times a week — increases your strength, balance and ability to maintain an active life¹.
- Limited inactivity: Breaking up long bouts of inactivity, such as sitting at the computer, can help control blood sugar levels¹.
3. Eat Healthy Plant Foods
Plants provide vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates in your diet¹. Carbohydrates include sugars and starches — the energy sources for your body — and fiber. Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, is the part of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb. Fiber-rich foods promote weight loss and lower the risk of diabetes¹.
4. Reduce Your Total Carb Intake
The quantity and quality of your carb intake are both important factors to consider when making dietary changes to help prevent diabetes³. Your body breaks down carbs into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps sugar move from your bloodstream into your cells³.
In people with prediabetes, the body’s cells are resistant to insulin, so blood sugar remains high. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, attempting to bring blood sugar down. Over time, this can lead to progressively higher blood sugar and insulin levels until the condition turns into type 2 diabetes³.
5. Skip Fad Diets and Make Healthier Choices
Lastly, regular screenings and check-ups, especially for people at risk, can detect early signs and delay or prevent the onset of diabetes⁶. Choose peanut butter instead of chocolate spread or jam. Choose whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta instead of white bread, rice, or pasta⁶.
In conclusion, lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating healthy and engaging in regular physical activity may reduce the progression of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes and control Type 1 diabetes⁴. They can also minimize other risk factors such as high blood pressure, blood cholesterol and even heart attacks and strokes⁴.
Source:
(1) . https://bing.com/search?q=diabetic+prevention+techniques.
(2) How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: 11 Methods – Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/prevent-diabetes.
(3) Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T …. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/diabetes-prevention/preventing-diabetes-full-story/.
(4) Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control – Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-prevention/art-20047639.
(5) undefined. https://idf.org/about-diabetes/diabetes-prevention/.
(6) Preventing and Treating Diabetes | American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/prevention–treatment-of-diabetes.
(7) undefined. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-prevent-diabetes.
(8) undefined. https://greatist.com/health/diabetes-prevention.