Lifestyle Changes For Type-2 Diabetes
Studies have shown that making simple lifestyle changes is at least as effective as taking prescription drugs in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a British Medical Journal study.
Changes such as switching to a healthier diet and increasing exercise helped to reduce the risk of diabetes by about 50 percent.
The study showed that, nine out of 10 cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented if people exercised more, ate better, stopped smoking and adopted other healthy behaviors.
The study findings suggest behavior is the main culprit in type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, and that 91% of the type 2 diabetes cases that appeared among 85,000 female nurses could be attributed to habits and forms of behavior.
The lifestyle changes were just as effective, or more so, than taking an anti-obesity drug or a diabetes drug among people at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The most vitally important lifestyle change you can make is changing your diet for the better. The most positive change for the better that you can make to your diet is eliminating processed foods, refined grains and all dietary sugars and exercising regularly.
Rates of type 2 diabetes are expected to double by 2030, so it is critical that you protect yourself from this pervasive disease. Diabetes is close to 90 percent preventable, as it is often a direct result of dietary and lifestyle factors. The sooner you begin to treat the diabetes, the easier it will be to control, so it is important to take action as soon as possible.
The following are some practical & common-sense lifestyle changes that can bring relief for those suffering from the effects type-2 diabetes
1. Lose the excess pounds
If you’re overweight and have type 2 diabetes, dropping pounds lowers your blood sugar, improves your health, and helps you feel better.
Yes, this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and certainly not fun for most people. However, if you do not begin to take major action toward finding a way to get yourself into the best possible health chances are you will not enjoy the quality of life you’ve hoped for.
Few people grasp the huge effect that weight has on diabetes. Even instances of gestational diabetes are much greater in patients that are overweight than in those that are not. Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is usually seen in overweight people than those that are within their ‘ideal’ weight ranges. In fact, almost 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.
If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, your best approach is to start getting your weight under control. Among patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes almost 40% have high blood pressure, which is another ailment that is thought to be made worse by obesity.
Being overweight might also lead to a condition known as insulin resistance where the body no stops responding to the insulin that is needed to aid the body in using sugar and glucose as fuel on a cellular level. But before you start a diabetes weight loss plan, it’s important to work closely with your doctor or diabetes educator – because while you’re dieting, your blood sugar, insulin, and medications need special attention. Make no mistake — you’re on the right path. "No matter how heavy you are, you will significantly lower your blood sugar if you lose some weight," says Cathy Nonas, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
2. Get active – exercise
It has been shown numerous times that exercise may prevent certain diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise counteracts many of the detrimental effects of insulin resistance. It improves glucose control and blood lipid levels, increases blood flow and vascular function, boosts fitness, reduces risk of heart disease, and can ease weight loss. As a bonus, you feel better. Although the exact mechanism of this effect is often disputed. A recent study found that one of these mechanisms is that physical activity causes a reduction in insulin resistance.
At least 10 million overweight Americans could sharply cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by making relatively simple lifestyle changes in their diets and exercise routines, according to a major government study released August 8. The study included 5159 men aged 40 to 59 years with no history of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or stroke. During an average follow-up period of 16.8 years, there were 616 cases of major coronary heart disease events (fatal and nonfatal) and 196 incident cases of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity was inversely related to coronary heart disease rates, with the lowest rates in the men undertaking moderate physical activity and with no further benefit thereafter. For type 2 diabetes, risk decreased progressively with increasing levels of physical activity.
Yes! Get active.! Find activities that you enjoy and get out there and do it. Don’t make those activities passive activities either. Even if it’s just going out to play shuffleboard everyday get out there and play. Enjoy your time in the sun. Start walking around your neighborhood. Take up golf. Do whatever it takes to get up and moving each and every day.
A 2001 National Institutes of Health study found that a combination of diet and exercise cuts the risk of developing diabetes by 58%. The study involved people who were overweight (average body mass index of 34) and who had high — but not yet diabetic — blood sugar levels. "The study showed that, if someone with type 2 diabetes loses 5% to 10% of their weight, they will significantly reduce their blood sugar," and will be able to get off their insulin and their medication.
