You Can Avoid Type 2 Diabetes
If you have recently heard that you have pre-diabetes, or if you have a strong family history of diabetes or other risk factors, you may be wondering if it is possible to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes, or if it is possible that you can delay the onset of the disease.
If you currently have pre-diabetes there is a significant likelihood that you will develop Type 2 diabetes within the next ten years. It is important to understand the risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes. You should discuss these with your doctor. If you have a family history of diabetes you are far more likely to develop the disease, especially if someone in your immediate family has diabetes. Ethnicity also is a risk factor. You are more likely to be diabetic if you are African American, Asian, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, or Native Alaskan. If you live a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight you are at a greater risk as well. Usually Type 2 diabetes strikes people aged 40 or over, but there has been a surge in younger people developing the disease as there are many more children today who are obese and sedentary, two of the main contributing factors to developing the disease.
If you have any of the above listed risk factors you should make sure to discuss them with your doctor at your next visit. Your doctor will most likely order a fasting blood glucose test to determine if you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. Since diabetes affects almost every system in the body, delaying the onset of the disease is imperative. The longer you live with diabetes the more likely you are to suffer from complications of the disease. Diabetic complications include nerve damage, blindness, and circulatory problems. Diabetes is also a contributing factor to heart disease and stroke. It is serious and should be treated as such.
The easiest and most effective way to prevent diabetes is to lose weight and be more active. Sounds familiar? Generally, this is the advice given for many ailments. Many people groan inwardly when their doctors suggest these lifestyle changes, but since they help to prevent a multitude of health issues from cancer to heart disease, and they can help prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes, losing weight and beginning an exercise regime should be immediate goals. Generally, we dont want to give up our sedentary lifestyles and junk-food diets, but a diagnosis of pre-diabetes should be further incentive to make the change to a healthier lifestyle.
So how do you go about eating better? Change your eating habits. Eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables. Cut down on junk foods and processed foods. Trade regular soda for diet soda or water or iced tea. Re-learn portion sizes, often what your given in a restaurant or in prepackaged containers is more than one serving size. Cut down on carb-heavy foods such as potatoes. Switch to whole grain products over refined white flour.
The other lifestyle change you should make is to begin an exercise regime. Your ultimate goal is to workout 6 days a week for one hour, however that is what you are working up to. Initially you can aim lower. Try for 30 minutes and if that is too long you can break it up into three 10-minute segments. In addition to helping lose weight, exercise also helps to increase the good cholesterol in the body and helps the body to use blood sugar more effectively. Whatever you plan to do, make sure to discuss it with your doctor before you begin any exercise plan.
Switching to a healthier diet and exercising regularly will help you to lose weight and will help to keep that weight off. These are the most important things you can do to delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.