How to Prevent Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition with many complications. Type II diabetes (T2DM) is the most common one, which occurs due to less production or incomplete functioning of insulin. Sometimes the pancreas in our body is not able to make enough insulin, which can cause abnormal blood glucose levels. Alternatively, the pancreas produces enough insulin but our body is not able to utilise that insulin. This condition is called insulin resistance. Usually diabetes (T2DM) follows pre-diabetes, where the blood glucose level is high but not high enough to cause diabetes. It is always advisable to control pre-diabetes before it converts into diabetes. Want to know more about how to prevent diabetes? Well then, read on.

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control   

Diabetes is caused either due to genetic reasons or due to an unhealthy lifestyle. To understand how to prevent diabetes, we first need to consider lifestyle factors that might be responsible for pre-diabetic or diabetic stages, which includes the following:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity or being overweight
• Exercising less than three times a week
• Age above 45 years
• Family history of T2DM
• Having gestational diabetes during pregnancy
• Women giving birth to an overweight baby
• Having fatty liver disease or Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Now comes the question, ‘how to avoid diabetes?’ and we’re happy to share some insights. Diabetes can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle. We’ve provided a few useful tips below:

• Maintaining a healthy weight: It is important to cut down extra pounds, particularly if you are overweight or obese. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the chances of being pre-diabetic and also prevents people from progressing from pre-diabetes to diabetes.
• Being physically active: Daily physical activity, which should be at least 30 minutes at a stretch, would minimise the risk of getting diabetes. It can be either walking, cycling, running, etc.
• Opting for a healthy diet: Opt for a diet that contains loads of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants, which includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Intake of refined carbohydrates should be minimised and it should be replaced with healthier options like oats.
• Quit smoking: Smoking is one of the main enemies of good health. Research has shown that smoking can cause insulin resistance and further increases the risk of developing T2DM.
• Consult a doctor: Consult with your doctor to get some anti-diabetic medicines which can reduce the chances of getting diabetes. A doctor can also create a diet plan better suited to your needs.

We hope this has given you a better understanding of how to reduce diabetes. Embracing such small changes in your lifestyle can help to prevent, avoid and reduce diabetes, which can in turn protect you from long term complications.