Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts like a key to letting the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.
If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
When your cells become resistant to insulin or your body doesn't make enough of it, your blood sugar levels rise, causing many of the short-term and long-term symptoms of diabetes. There are two types of Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which your pancreas produces little or no insulin, which is the hormone needed to let sugar (glucose) enter your cells and produce energy. Genetics, certain viruses, and other factors contribute to type 1 diabetes, which has no cure. With type 2 diabetes, your pancreas produces some insulin, but not enough to power your body. The good news is that it’s largely preventable. While genetics, age, an imbalanced diet, and lack of exercise may increase your risk, there are many things you can do.
Lose extra weight
Losing weight reduces the risk of diabetes. People in one large study reduced their risk of developing diabetes by almost 60% after losing approximately 7% of their body weight with changes in exercise and diet.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with prediabetes lose at least 7% to 10% of their body weight to prevent disease progression. More weight loss will translate into even greater benefits.
Set a weight-loss goal based on your current body weight. Talk to your doctor about reasonable short-term goals and expectations, such as losing 1 to 2 pounds a week.
Eat healthy plant foods
Plants provide vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates to your diet. Carbohydrates include sugars and starches — the energy sources for your body — and fiber. Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, is the part of plant foods your body can't digest or absorb.
Fiber-rich foods promote weight loss and lower the risk of diabetes. Eat a variety of healthy, fiber-rich foods, which include:
•Fruits, such as tomatoes, peppers, and fruit from trees.
•non-starchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, broccoli, and cauliflower.
•Legumes, such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils.
•Whole grains, such as whole-wheat pasta and bread, whole-grain rice, whole oats, and quinoa
The benefits of fiber include:
•Slowing the absorption of sugars and lowering blood sugar levels
•Interfering with the absorption of dietary fat and cholesterol
•Managing other risk factors that affect heart health, such as blood pressure and inflammation
•Helping you eat less because fiber-rich foods are more filling and energy-rich
Avoid foods that are "bad carbohydrates" — high in sugar with little fiber or nutrients: white bread and pastries, pasta from white flour, fruit juices, and processed foods with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
Eat healthy fats
Fatty foods are high in calories and should be eaten in moderation. To help lose and manage weight, your diet should include a variety of foods with unsaturated fats, sometimes called "good fats."
Unsaturated fats — both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — promote healthy blood cholesterol levels and a good heart and vascular health. Sources of good fats include:
•Olive, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and canola oils
•Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, peanuts, flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds
•Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and cod
Saturated fats, the "bad fats," are found in dairy products and meats. These should be a small part of your diet. You can limit saturated fats by eating low-fat dairy products and lean chicken and pork.
Exercise to prevent type 2 diabetes
Whilst a good diet is the foundation of good health, exercise is the next important step. Exercise can help to prevent diabetes in a number of ways. During exercise, our muscles use any excess sugar in the blood and the sugar, known as glycogen, is stored in the muscles and liver.
After exercise is completed, the muscles will gradually replenish their sugar stores by taking in sugar from the blood. This helps lower blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity.
Regular exercise, along with a good diet, can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and can help reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Even a little extra activity each day can help. Some basic steps can really help to make a difference if they become a regular habit, such as walking to the shops rather than using the car or getting off the bus a stop early.
Medication to help prevent diabetes
Whilst medication, such as metformin, has been shown to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes amongst particularly high-risk cases where lifestyle interventions alone may not be enough. In the UK, medication is not routinely prescribed to prevent type 2 diabetes, however, it may be prescribed on a case-by-case basis by doctors
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