Research suggests that 90% of type 2 diabetes can be attributed to behavioral and lifestyle factors. Making a few changes can dramatically lower your risk of diabetes, as well as your risk of developing heart disease and cancer.
-Control your weight. Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes seven-fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes.
-Get Moving. Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. Every two hours your spend watching TV instead of pursuing something more active increases the chances of developing diabetes by 14%. Working your muscles more often improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on your insulin-making cells. Research finding suggest that walking briskly for a half hour every day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30%.
-Choose whole grains. Whole grains aren’t as easily digested, and cause lower, slower increases in blood sugar and insulin levels. As a result, they place less stress on the body’s insulin-making machinery and help prevent type 2 diabetes. Examples include whole wheat, brown rice, nuts, legumes, and whole grain cereals.
-Go for good fats. Polyunsaturated fats found in tuna, salmon, and many nuts, can help ward off type 2 diabetes. Trans fats do just the opposite. These bad fats are found in any product that lists “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on the label.
-If you smoke, try to quit. Add type 2 diabetes to the long list of health problems linked with smoking. Smokers are 50% to 90% more likely to develop diabetes.
-Moderate amounts of alcohol is key. A drink a day for men, and a drink every other day for women increases the efficiency of insulin getting glucose inside cells. If you drink alcohol, the key is keep your consumption in the moderate range. If you don’t drink alcohol, there is no need to start, there are plenty of other ways to get the same benefits.
The key to preventing type 2 diabetes can be boiled down to five words: Stay lean and stay active.
MANY FACTORS AFFECT YOUR RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES.
TO FIND YOUR RISK, CHECK EACH ITEM THAT APPLIES.
◊ I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
◊ My family background is Alaska Native, American Indian, African
American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
◊ I have had gestational diabetes, or I have given birth to at least one
baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
◊ My blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or I have been told
that I have high blood pressure.
◊ My cholesterol levels are not normal. My HDL cholesterol - “good
cholesterol” - is below 35 mg/dL, and/or my triglyceride level is
above 250 mg/dL.
◊ I am fairly inactive. I exercise fewer than three times per week.
◊ I have polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS (women only).
◊ On previous testing, I had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or
impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
◊ I have other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance,
such asacanthosis nigricans.
◊ I have a history of cardiovascular disease.
THE MORE ITEMS YOU CHECKED, THE HIGHER YOUR RISK.
Ask your health care provider for more information on lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Source: www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/riskfortype2/
