YES, You Can Do some Things to Prevent Diabetes

You Can Take Action to Prevent type 2 diabetes

There are some things that you can do to prevent the most common type of diabetes. Since there is no cure for diabetes, doing everything you can to prevent it is the best solution. This is good news because prevention will save you from potential problems that can seriously affect your health if you do develop this disease. The American Diabetes Association says that you can begin taking preventive measures at any time, even if you have led a sedentary lifestyle and packed on extra pounds. Preventing kidney and heart damage or nerve damage can be accomplished by actively trying to prevent diabetes.

Get more physically active

Begin walking if you have not been active. You can start slowly by walking for 15 or 20 minutes and gradually work up to 30 or 40 minutes each day. Although exercise is important every day, if you walk 4 times a week for 30 minutes, it will decrease your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors for developing diabetes, so if you sit most of the day, begin walking and work up to an exercise program that includes both resistance training and aerobic exercise.

Losing even a small amount of weight is helpful in preventing type 2 diabetes

If you are overweight, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your extra pounds can make a huge difference in preventing diabetes. Studies have shown that even losing this modest amount of extra weight can reduce your chances of developing the disease by over 50%. Adults in another study reduced their chance of develping it by 16% for each 2.2 pounds that they lost. When you also exercise, your chances of preventing it increase even more.

Eat whole grains and a diet high in fiber

Diets with lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, beans, and whole grains have been shown to reduce blood sugar. This reduces your chance of developing diabetes. Eating a diet high in fiber can also reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Eat whole wheat bread, pasta, oatmeal and other whole grain cereals instead of sugary ones with little fiber.

These changes may seem difficult at first, but you will feel much better when you make the switch to lose extra pounds and eat a healthy diet. Best of all, you'll greatly reduce your chance of developing type 2 diabetes.