What You Can Do to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk

1. Understand Insulin Resistance and Watch for the Signs Type 2 diabetes doesn't appear out of nowhere - it begins as insulin resistance, years before you're diagnosed. If you can recognize the signs, you can take action before you develop full-blown diabetes. If you're overweight (especially around the belly), have high blood pressure, triglycerides or cholesterol and live a sedentary lifestyle, keep a close tab on your insulin levels.

 

2. Get Regular Screening - The best way to catch insulin resistance - or full-blown diabetes - early is through regular screening. Be sure have your fasting blood glucose tested every year. If your glucose levels are rising (even if they're still within a normal range), your body may not be breaking carbohydrates down in sugar as efficiently as it should be, placing you at risk for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

 

3. Exercise - Proper exercise can make all the difference in the prevention of type 2 diabetes - and it doesn't take a whole lot to make that difference. Just take a brisk, 30-minute walk 5 days each week. Use a pedometer to count your steps for motivation and simply try to be more active. These daily walks can go a long way in improving your insulin sensitivity, reducing your insulin resistance and preventing diabetes.

 

4. Weight Control, With Reasonable Goals - If you are overweight, losing weight is also extremely important - but you need to be realistic in your weight management. If you lose weight too quickly, or strive for a lower weight than you can reasonably sustain, you're likely to gain that weight back and lose the benefits you were seeking. So strive for the lowest weight you can reasonably sustain. Even if it's just a 7% reduction in body weight, it will help to prevent diabetes.

 

5. Carbohydrate Reduction - If you have insulin resistance and are at risk of diabetes, your body probably isn't processing sugar well. Carbohydrates break down into these sugars, so eating a lot of carbs just compounds the problem. Try to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, while still maintaining balance and healthy nutrition.

 

6. Consider Home Blood Glucose Testing - A home glucose meter can be a great help in determining what lifestyle modifications, such as dietary changes, exercise and supplements, actually help to lower and stabilize your blood glucose. If you are at risk for diabetes or insulin resistance, this can go a long way in helping to reduce that risk - and prevent diabetes. While the price can be somewhat prohibitive, even occasional checks - such as with the help of a diabetic friend - can help.