3 proven ways to reduce risk of diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common and dangerous chronic diseases that could lead to other conditions such as stroke and kidney failure if not managed properly. If you are above 45, are overweight or have a family history of diabetes, you’re more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Even then, these are just risk factors; you could still prevent the disease by making certain lifestyle changes, according to the CDC.

Shed excess weight

Although not everyone who is at risk of getting diabetes is overweight or obese, it is still important to maintain a healthy weight to minimize the risk. Results of a large study showed that people can reduce their diabetes risk by almost 60% if they lose approximately 7% of their body weight, Mayo Clinic writes. This can be achieved through physical activities and healthy diet. You should however talk to your doctor before embarking on any drastic lifestyle changes.

Lose the sugar

Speaking of healthy choices, it is a known fact that having sugary drinks and pastries increases the risk of diabetes significantly. Try cutting down the amount of sugary things you eat be it for breakfast or snacks. This will help you keep the weight down, Diabetes UK says.

Try not to replace sugary drinks with fruit juices or smoothies as these still contain a high amount of free sugar. Try plain water, plain milk, tea or coffee without added sugar, as replacements.

Go slow on the alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption is linked with higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Due to its high caloric content, drinking too much alcohol could make losing or maintaining your weight difficult. Binge-drinking (drinking heavily a couple of days a week) also puts you at higher risk of other health conditions such as cancer.

Other preventive steps

Apart from these changes, Healthline advises that doing the things listed below could also help get you closer to a life without diabetes:

• Reducing portion size
• Including more fibre in your diet
• Quitting smoking
• Drinking water as primary beverage
• Reducing how much processed foods you eat

Sources Used:

Healthline:11 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Mayo Clinic:Diabetes Prevention: 5 Tips for Taking Control

Diabetes UK:10 Tips for Healthy Eating if You Are at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

CDC:Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

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