Logger Blogger

If youve been recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes or glucose intolerance, there are probably many questions running through your head. What does it mean? How did I get here? But the most important question you are probably asking is, what can I do to prevent or delay the onset of, and how can I avoid Type 2 diabetes?

If you have pre-diabetes, you are very likely to develop Type 2 diabetes within a ten year window. Many people today currently have pre-diabetes or even diabetes itself and are not aware of that fact. The first thing you should do is assess your risk factors. If you have a family history of diabetes or if you are part of one of the following ethnic groups you are far more likely to develop diabetes: African American, Alaska Native, Latino, Native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander. People over 40 are also more likely to develop diabetes, however, there has been a steady increase in young people developing Type 2 diabetes recently. This is due to the fact that many young people are much more sedentary now than in the past. Being less physically active puts you at a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Being overweight is also a significant risk factor.

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.

Exercise is also very important for diabetics. Exercise can help to reduce the amount of sugar in your blood and will help you to lose weight and keep it off. You should strive to exercise 6 days a week and try for one hour a day. This is probably an aggressive goal initially. You can start gradually. Most doctors suggest 30 minutes a day for 5 days as a good starting point, and you can break up your exercise into 10 minute segments until you can work up to a longer period of time. Walking is one of the easiest, least costly methods of exercise and is something most people can do with minimal impact. Make sure to discuss your planned exercise regime with your doctor first.

If you can change your eating habits and exercise regularly you will be able to lose weight and keep it off, and that is perhaps the best way to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes.

Tags: Diabetes //