5 ways to prevent type 2 diabetes

Up to 90 percent of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented by healthy lifestyle habits. Here are five ways to avoid becoming part of the diabetes epidemic

Given the serious consequences emanating from insulin resistance and Type-2 diabetes, preventing this disease is certainly our best weapon in reducing the damage caused by a surplus of blood sugar. Luckily for us, the preventive potential is extraordinary: Adopting a healthy lifestyle can prevent up to 90 percent of Type-2 diabetes cases! To see how we can reduce the risk of diabetes, let us review some lifestyle factors.

1. Maintain a healthy body weight

Given that excess weight and obesity are instrumental in the development of Type-2 diabetes, maintaining a normal body weight is an essential aspect of any preventive approach. The most spectacular illustration of how weight loss can influence the risk of diabetes is undoubtedly the effect of bariatric surgery (reducing stomach size) on morbidly obese people. Radically reducing the size of the stomach rapidly decreases obesity and almost completely eliminates Type-2 diabetes!

Fight Colon Cancer, Diabetes, And High Cholesterol With…Leftover Pasta?

At first, resistant starch sounds a little too much like magic: A carbohydrate with less calories that can help you burn fat? But truth is, resistant starch, or RS, is the real deal.

This awesome starch passes through the small intestine without being digested, which means it has slashed caloric value—that's one reason why it's been linked to weight loss and increased fat burning. And chances are, you eat it almost every day, since RS is found in many starchy whole foods like oats, barley, lentils, black beans, unripe bananas, and some types of corn. Better yet, you can increase the RS of foods like rice, potatoes, and pasta and cut their number of calories in the foods by up to half (!) simply by cooking them slowly and letting them cool before serving. 

Alternative Treatments For Type 2 Diabetes

Learn more about alternative methods to manage your blood sugar and avoid complications

Type 2 diabetes doesn't just affect blood sugar and insulin secretion—it also can lead to a host of other problems including kidney damage, blood vessel thickening, nerve damage and pain. Find out more below about common alternative and complementary methods, vitamins, minerals, herbs and foods used to treat type 2 diabetes and other conditions associated with it.

Acetyl L-Carnitine

In a double-blind study of people with diabetic neuropathy, supplementing with acetyl-L-carnitine was significantly more effective than a placebo in improving subjective symptoms of neuropathy and objective measures of nerve function. People who received 1,000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine three times per day tended to fare better than those who received 500 mg three times per day. 

Dairy Blocks Diabetes

Two servings a day may keep you diabetes-free

A sneaky side effect of the sitting-still lifestyle is putting up to 30 million Americans at risk for diabetes. Extra body fat and too little exercise lull your body into resisting the efforts of insulin, a hormone that sends blood sugar into your cells.

Now, researchers say that, even if you're overweight, choosing more low-fat dairy products--such as a glass of 1 percent milk or a smoothie made with low-fat yogurt instead of a soda--could help prevent diabetes.

In a 10-year study of 3,000 people, those who were overweight but consumed lots of milk and other dairy products were 70 percent less likely to get insulin resistance as dairy avoiders.

8 Ways To Beat Your Sugar Addiction

Use these rules to naturally slow your sugar absorption—and keep eating meals you love 

In the world of fantasy wish lists, wouldn't it be great if—instead of prompting us to snack all the time—our bodies would just use up fat we have already stored?

One major reason this doesn't happen has to do with our diets. When you consume starch and refined sugar, these foods enter the bloodstream quickly, causing a sugar spike. Your body then produces the hormone insulin to drive that sugar from your bloodstream into cells. But over time, excessive levels of insulin can make your muscle cells lose sensitivity to the hormone, leading to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Your fat cells are another story: They always remain sensitive. Insulin spikes lock fat into them, so you can't use it for energy.

6 Essential Eating Rules For Diabetics

Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are all important for a diabetes-taming diet. But certain types of foods are better for curbing diabetes—specifically anti-inflammatory foods, including fresh vegetables, herbs, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, fruit, seaweeds, and fermented foods—which is a symptom of body-wide inflammation. The list of "good" and "bad" foods for diabetes is pretty lengthy —but here are a few simple rules to help you stay on track and get the most out of each meal.

1. Never go hungry! It's important to make sure you're full and satisfied at the end of each meal. This will go a long way toward helping you to turn down any "fake" foods you may encounter throughout the day.

The Diabetes And Celiac Diet

You think it's tough counting carbs? Throw in a second, food-restricting disease, and the challenge is on.

All people with type 1 diabetes have to pay close attention to diet, but those who also have celiac disease need to be extra vigilant. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the protein gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye, and sometimes in oats) causes a person's immune system to attack and damage the small intestine. People with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of celiac disease, and about 8 to 10% of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. Symptoms of the disease are generally gastrointestinal—bloating, gas, and diarrhea—but not everyone gets them. Because it interferes with the body's ability to absorb nutrients, celiac disease also can cause weight loss and fatigue. Early diagnosis is key.

The Exercise Diabetes Solution

If you're ready to fight to reverse your type 2 diabetes, a pair of sneakers can be one of your best investments

Studies have shown that exercise can be as effective as some medications when it comes to beating type 2 diabetes. "Even a little activity can help hugely," says Tim Church, MD, PhD, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. During exercise, glucose gets driven out of the bloodstream and into the muscles for fuel. The more muscle you have, the more excess blood sugar it can store, explains Sheri Colberg-Ochs, PhD, professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University. Plus there's the weight loss that comes with a fitter lifestyle: Dropping pounds improves your insulin response, further lowering glucose levels.

While most types of exercise can help, researchers now have a sense of what has the most impact. Here, our proven, three-pronged approach to conquering diabetes.

Food Cures for Diabetes

The most effective treatment for early type 2 diabetes can be found in your fridge

When Lynn Risor, 49, of Albuquerque, NM, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during a routine checkup last summer, she was terrified. She had seen firsthand how it can ruin your health and diminish your quality of life, because two of her great-aunts had struggled with the disease. "I was scared," Risor admits.

While she may have been frightened, she wasn't surprised. At 245 pounds and with a family history of the disease, Risor knew her risk was high. But like many of the 100 million Americans affected by diabetes and prediabetes (including the 7 million that the CDC estimates don't know they have the disease), she hadn't made the dietary changes that can often prevent type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis knocked the apathy out of her—suddenly, she was determined to do whatever it took to avoid taking medications. She sought out a holistic doctor who put her on a low-fat, plant-based diet and recommended a fitness routine. Within 6 months, Risor lost 55 pounds, restored her blood sugar to normal levels, and reversed her disease—without popping a single pill.

The Food That Lowers Your Diabetes Risk 26%

And you only have to eat it twice a week

As if you needed another reason to eat them: Consuming whole fruits like apples and blueberries—but not fruit juice—may significantly lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, finds two new studies from half a dozen American and UK institutions.  

After tracking the health outcomes of roughly 187,000 people for more than two decades, a team from the Harvard School of Public Health found those who ate whole fruits on a weekly basis lowered their type 2 diabetes risk by 23% compared to those who ate fruit less than once a month. (The same study published in British Medical Journal found drinking fruit juice every day increases diabetes risk by as mush as 21%.) A separate report published in the Journal of Nutrition linked the consumption of flavonols—nutritious compounds found in many fruits and vegetables—to a 26% drop in type 2 diabetes incidences.

The Wonder Workout

Learn how you can reverse prediabetes, reduce belly fat, and get in shape with our 8-week workout plan

This expert-designed training plan will put you on the fast track to getting toned all over and shrinking your dress size—no matter how healthy you are. And if you're one of the nearly 80 million Americans with prediabetes, it also has the power to actually reverse your diagnosis.

Diabetes has spread across the nation with the persistence of a glacier and the devastation of a wildfire. About 10% of American adults have  type 2 diabetes, and one in three has its precursor, prediabetes.

Diet clearly plays a role. When glucose (sugar) floods the bloodstream from sodas, pies, ice cream, or even white bread, the pancreas has to pump out enough insulin to drive that glucose into cells. The more glucose, the more resistant your tissues eventually become to the effects of insulin—so the pancreas has to secrete even more, until eventually it tires out. But managing your diet is only one way to control glucose. A major Finnish study found that subjects who exercised regularly reduced their risk of developing diabetes by up to 70%, compared with subjects who were less active.

Aerobic exercise is a good start. But a growing stack of studies suggests that interval training—which alternates a relaxed pace with bursts of high-intensity movement—generates better glucose control than steady-state cardio. Why? The intense contractions that fatigue muscles also break down carbohydrate stores in muscle. The muscles then become much more responsive to insulin as they attempt to replenish these stores.

What To Do If You Have Prediabetes

The recommended prediabetes treatment is similar to the prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes. In many cases, the progression of prediabetes can be halted, and even reversed, by making healthy eating and fitness habits a daily routine.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large-scale study of diabetes prevention strategies in those at high risk for type 2 diabetes (including those with impaired glucose tolerance), found that even moderate lifestyle changes can make a big difference in preventing diabetes and reversing prediabetes in some people. DPP participants who engaged in 30 minutes of physical activity daily and lost 5 to 7% of their body weight cut their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 58%.  

14 Fantastically Healthy Foods For Diabetics

Stock your fridge and pantry with these blood sugar-friendly staples 

When you think of managing blood sugar, odds are you obsess over everything you can't have.

While it's certainly important to limit no-no ingredients (like white, refined breads and pastas and fried, fatty, processed foods), it's just as crucial to pay attention to what you should eat. We suggest you start here. Numerous nutrition and diabetes experts singled out these power foods because 1) they're packed with the four healthy nutrients (fiber, omega-3s, calcium, and vitamin D) that make up our Diabetes DTOUR Diet, and 2) they're exceptionally versatile, so you can use them in recipes, as add-ons to meals, or stand-alone snacks.

1. Beans

Beans have more to boast about than being high in fiber (plant compounds that help you feel full, steady blood sugar, and even lower cholesterol; a half cup of black beans delivers more than 7 grams). They're a not-too-shabby source of calcium, a mineral that research shows can help burn body fat. In ½ cup of white beans, you'll get almost 100 mg of calcium—about 10% of your daily intake. Beans also make an excellent protein source; unlike other proteins Americans commonly eat (such as red meat), beans are low in saturated fat—the kind that gunks up arteries and can lead to heart disease.

5 Surprising Symptoms Of Diabetes

The diabetes symptoms you never suspected were side effects of the disease

Not every case of type 2 diabetes symptoms presents the obvious—unquenchable thirst, nonstop bathroom trips, and numbness in your hands or feet. Look out for these other subtle signs that something may be amiss with your blood sugar:

1. You've noticed unpleasant skin changes

Dark, velvety patches in the folds of skin, usually on the back of the neck, elbows, or knuckles, are often an early warning sign of too-high blood sugar levels and diabetes symptoms. Although genetics or hormonal conditions can cause the skin disorder, called acanthosis nigricans, "when I notice the patches, the first thing I do is test my patient's blood sugar," says Sanjiv Saini, MD, a dermatologist in Edgewater, Maryland. "High insulin levels promote the growth of skin cells, and melanin, a pigment in these cells, makes the patches dark." The test may show that the patient already has diabetes, but, more likely, it will detect higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, suggesting the patient is on the way to developing the disease, explains Saini. Losing weight—as little as 10 pounds—will likely lower blood sugar levels and help the condition clear up. Otherwise, he says a dermatologist can treat it with laser therapy or topical retina A.

13 Best and Worst Foods for People With Diabetes

The good news: It's easier than you think to eat healthier with diabetes.

How to choose food

If you have diabetes, watching what you eat is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. "The basic goal of nutrition for people with diabetes is to avoid blood sugar spikes," says Gerald Bernstein, M.D., director of the diabetes management program at Friedman Diabetes Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Candy and soda can be dangerous for diabetics because the body absorbs these simple sugars almost instantly. But all types of carbs need to be watched, and foods high in fat—particularly unhealthy fats—are problematic as well because people with diabetes are at very high risk of heart disease, says Sandy Andrews, RD, director of education for the William Sansum Diabetes Center in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Best and Worst Foods for Diabetes

Your food choices matter a lot when you've got diabetes. Some are better than others.

Nothing is completely off limits. Even items that you might think of as “the worst" could be occasional treats -- in tiny amounts. But they won’t help you nutrition-wise, and it’s easiest to manage your diabetes if you mainly stick to the “best” options.

Starches

Your body needs carbs. But you want to choose wisely. Use this list as a guide.

Best Choices

• Whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, or amaranth
• Baked sweet potato
• Items made with whole grains and no (or very little) added sugar

Type 2 diabetes - Treatment

Treating type 2 diabetes 

There's no cure for diabetes, so treatment aims to keep your blood glucose levels as normal as possible and to control your symptoms, to prevent health problems developing later in life.

If you've been diagnosed with diabetes, your GP will be able to explain your condition in detail and help you to understand your treatment.

They will also closely monitor your condition to identify any health problems that may occur. If there are any problems, you may be referred to a hospital-based diabetes care team.

Making lifestyle changes

If you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you'll need to look after your health very carefully for the rest of your life.

12 Ways To Never Get Diabetes

These simple steps may be all it takes to stay healthy  

Nearly 25% of Americans are thought to have prediabetes—a condition of slightly elevated blood sugar levels that often develops into diabetes within 10 years—but only 4% of people know it. What’s worse, of those who are aware, less than half really tried to reduce their risk by losing weight, eating less, and exercising more. These are just a few of the good-for-you habits that can reverse prediabetes and ensure you never get the real thing, which can mean a lifetime of drugs and blood sugar monitoring, an increased risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other scary health threats. Read on for 12 healthy lifestyle habits everyone can start today.

1. Nudge the scale

Shedding even 10 pounds can significantly slash your risk. Even extremely overweight people were 70% less likely to develop diabetes when they lost just 5% of their weight—even if they didn’t exercise. If you weigh 175 pounds, that’s a little less than 9 pounds! Use our calorie calculator to see how many calories you consume—and how many you need to shave off your diet—if you want to lose a little.

Choose More than 50 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Reduce Portion S​izes

Portion size is the amount of food you eat, such as 1 cup of fruit or 6 ounces of meat. If you are trying to eat smaller portions, eat a half of a bagel instead of a whole bagel or have a 3-ounce hamburger instead of a 6-ounce hamburger. Three ounces is about the size of your fist or a deck of cards.

Put less on your ​plate, Nate.

1. Drink a large glass of water 10 minutes before your meal so you feel less hungry.

2. Keep meat, chicken, turkey, and fish portions to about 3 ounces.

Old woman eating salad 

3. Share one dessert.

Eat a small meal, Lucille.

4. Use teaspoons, salad forks, or child-size forks, spoons, and knives to help you take smaller bites and eat less.

5. Make less food look like more by serving your meal on a salad or breakfast plate.