Take proactive control of your health by learning how to prevent diabetes! There are three types of this unrelenting illness, all of them depending to a greater or lesser degree on lifestyle and genetic factors. First, you’ve got to understand which types of diabetes you’re at risk for:
Type 1 diabetes indicates someone who is dependent upon insulin to manage his disease. This is also known as juvenile-onset diabetes because it usually develops early in life. It occurs when the immune system malfunctions and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This type is more affected by genetic factors than Type 2. About 10-15% of all diabetics fall into this category.
Type 2 diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, occurs when the body is making insulin, but the insulin is deficient or not otherwise able to manage your blood sugars. Type 2 is more likely to develop as a result of poor lifestyle choices, including high amounts of sugar or carbohydrate consumption. Most Type 2 diabetics are diagnosed after age 45.
The third type is gestational diabetes, which occurs in pregnant women who cannot tolerate an increased amount of carbohydrates during pregnancy, as well as other factors. Only about 5% of diabetics fall into this category, but many of them progress to Type 2 diabetes.
Before you learn how to prevent diabetes, it’s helpful to understand what insulin is and what it does. Your pancreas is an organ near your stomach that produces a hormone called insulin. The insulin helps your body move energy from the food you’ve eaten into your cells. But if your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin, or if your body is resistant to it, then this natural digestive process doesn’t occur.
That means when you eat carbohydrates, which are foods that contain sugars, their energy cannot enter the cells as intended. That’s why diabetics have to take insulin as a prescription medication, to find the right amount and type of insulin that will handle the carbohydrates in the body.
You can see why diabetics often talk about their blood sugar and test it throughout the day. Now that you understand the cause-and-effect between carbohydrates and insulin, you can be more successful at learning how to prevent diabetes.
Lowering your weight is very important. The majority of diabetics are overweight. If you eat foods that are high in sugar you are putting yourself at risk. Your body stores some foods and converts others to energy, and if you’re not exercising enough to use up that energy then it’s stored as fat.
Some foods that are quickly converted to energy include starchy carbohydrates. Avoid white foods, such as pasta, rice, potatoes, and white bread, because they are simple carbohydrates that are easily broken down and absorbed into your system. Complex carbohydrates that contain more fiber-such as produce-are much better for you. It’s okay to include brown rice or whole wheat pasta in moderation.
Exercise is important if you are serious about learning how to prevent diabetes. It burns those calories-the energy-stored from your food choices for the day. Exercise also boosts all your systems, including the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, but more importantly it keeps your lymphatic system moving, too. Remember that the lymphatic system directly affects your immunity! And tests show that exercise lowers blood sugar levels, too.
Reduce your alcohol intake. Alcohol is full of sugars!
Work to lower your cholesterol. Many foods rich in hydrogenated oils that are bad for your heart have also been associated with diabetes.
Some studies suggest that we lose insulin efficiency as we age. So with each passing birthday, you need to watch more, unfortunately.
Knowing how to prevent diabetes goes hand in hand with heart health. People who watch their diets and exercise regularly have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and better cardiovascular health-and they’re less likely to develop diabetes. It’s something worth working for!
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