Diabetes-Proof Your Life
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.
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.
Pick the Right Appetizer
May we recommend the salad? Eating greens with a vinaigrette before a
starchy entrée may help control your blood sugar levels. In an Arizona State
University study, people with type 2 diabetes or a precursor condition called
insulin resistance had lower blood sugar levels if they consumed about 2
tablespoons of vinegar just before a high-carb meal. "Vinegar contains
acetic acid, which may inactivate certain starch-digesting enzymes, slowing
carbohydrate digestion," says lead researcher Carol Johnston, PhD. In fact, vinegar’s effects may be similar to
those of the blood sugar—lowering medication acarbose (Precose). Before you eat
that fettuccine, enjoy a salad with this dressing: Whisk 3 tablespoons vinegar,
2 tablespoons flaxseed oil, 1 clove garlic (crushed), 1/4 teaspoon honey, 3
tablespoons yogurt, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. (Makes
four 2-tablespoon servings.)
Ditch Your Car
Walk as much as you can every day. You'll be healthier—even if you
don't lose any weight People in a Finnish study who exercised the most—up to 4
hours a week, or about 35 minutes a day—dropped their risk ofdiabetes by 80%,
even if they didn’t lose any weight. This pattern holds up in study after
study: The famed Nurses' Health Study, for example, found that women who worked
up a sweat more than once a week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by
30%. And Chinese researchers determined that people with high blood sugar who
engaged in moderate exercise (and made other lifestyle changes) were 40% less
likely to develop full-blown diabetes.
Why is walking so wonderful? Studies show that exercise helps your body
utilize the hormone insulin more efficiently by increasing the number of
insulin receptors on your cells. Insulin helps blood sugar move into cells,
where it needs to go to provide energy and nutrition. Otherwise it just sloshes
around in your bloodstream, gumming up blood vessel walls and eventually
causing serious health problems.
Be a Cereal Connoisseur
Selecting the right cereal can help you slim down and steady blood
sugar. A higher whole grain intake is also linked to lower rates of breast
cancer, type 2diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke—and cereal is one of
the best sources of these lifesaving grains, if you know what to shop for. Some
tips: Look for the words high fiber on the box; that ensures at least 5 g per
serving. But don't stop there. Check the label; in some brands, the benefits of
fiber are overshadowed by the addition of refined grains, added sugar, or
cholesterol-raising fats. Decode the grains:Where that fiber comes from matters
too, so check the ingredient list to find out exactly what those flakes or
squares are made from. Millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats are always whole
grain, but if you don’t see whole in front of wheat, corn, barley, or rice,
these grains have been refined and aren’t as healthy. Watch for hidden sugar: The "total
sugars" listing doesn’t distinguish between added and naturally occurring
sugars; the best way to tell is scan the ingredients again. The following terms represent added
sugars:brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, high
fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, sugar, and
sucrose. Skip cereals that list any of these within the first three ingredients
(which are listed by weight).
Indulge Your Coffee Cravings
If you're a coffee fan, keep on sipping. The beverage may keep diabetes
at bay. After they studied 126,210 women and men, researchers at the Harvard
School of Public Health found that big-time coffee drinkers—those who downed
more than 6 daily cups—had a 29 to 54% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
during the 18-year study. Sipping 4 to 5 cups cut risk about 29%; 1 to 3 cups
per day had little effect. Decaf coffee offered no protection. Caffeine in
other forms—tea, soda, chocolate—did. Researchers suspect that caffeine may
help by boosting metabolism. And coffee, the major caffeine source in the
study, also contains potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants that help cells
absorb sugar. But before you become a VIP at Dunkin Donuts, remember that a
medium chain-store cuppa is about 14 to 16 ounces—right there, that's 2
"cups" by standard measures.
Ditch the Drive-Thru
You might get away with an occasional fast-food splurge, but become a
regular "fast feeder" and your risk of diabetes skyrockets. That's
what University of Minnesota scientists found after they studied 3,000 people,
ages 18 to 30, for 15 years. At the start, everyone was at a normal weight. But
those who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds and
developed twice the rate of insulin resistance—the two major risk factors for
type 2 diabetes—compared with those who indulged less than once a week. In addition to the jumbo portions, many fast
food meals are loaded with unhealthy trans fats and refined carbohydrates,
which may raisediabetes risk even if your weight remains stable. A better bet:
Keep a baggie of DIY trail mix in your purse at all times in case hunger pangs
come on. Nuts are known blood sugar—lowerers.
Go Veggie More Often
Consider red meat a treat—not something to eat every day. Women who ate
red meat at least 5 times a week had a 29% higher risk of type 2diabetes than
those who ate it less than once a week, found a 37,000-woman study at Brigham
and Women's Hospital. And eating processed meats such as bacon and hot dogs at
least 5 times a week raised type 2 diabetes risk by 43%, compared with eating
them less than once a week.
Spice Up Your Life
Cinnamon may help rein in high blood sugar. German researchers studied
65 adults with type 2 diabetes who then took a capsule containing the
equivalent of 1 g of cinnamon powder or a placebo 3 times a day for 4 months.
By the end, cinnamon reduced blood sugar by about 10%; the placebo users
improved by only 4%. Why? Compounds in cinnamon may activate enzymes that
stimulate insulin receptors. The sweet spice has also been shown to help lower
cholesterol and triglycerides, blood fats that may contribute to diabetes
risk.
Unwind Every Day
Chronic stress can send blood sugar levels soaring. When you're
stressed, your body is primed to take action. This gearing up causes your heart
to beat faster, your breath to quicken, and your stomach to knot. But it also
triggers your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. "Under stress, your body
goes into fight-or-flight mode, raising blood sugar levels to prepare you for
action," says Richard Surwit, PhD, author of The Mind-Body Diabetes
Revolutionand chief of medical psychology at Duke University. If your cells are
insulin resistant, the sugar builds up in your blood, with nowhere to
go—leading to chronically high levels. The good news is, simple relaxation
exercises and other stress management moves can help you gain control over
blood sugar levels, according to a study conducted at Duke University. Try these proven relaxers:
•Start your day with yoga, meditation, or a walk.
•Take three deep, slow breaths before answering the phone, starting the
car, serving the kids lunch, or any other activity.
•Reclaim your Sundays as a day of rest or fun with your family,
relaxing, worship, etc. Try to avoid spending the whole day on obligatory
errands such as mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, or catching up on work.
Get a Perfect Night's Rest
There's a sleep sweet spot when it comes to preventing diabetes. A Yale
University study of 1,709 men found that those who regularly got less than 6
hours of shut-eye doubled their diabetes risk; those who slept more than 8
hours tripled their odds. Previous studies have turned up similar findings in
women. "When you sleep too little—or too long because of sleep apnea—your
nervous system stays on alert," says lead researcher Klar Yaggi, MD, an
assistant professor of pulmonary medicine at Yale. This interferes with hormones that regulate
blood sugar. A Columbia University study found that sleeping less than 5 hours
also doubled the risk of high blood pressure. For a good night’s rest, avoid
caffeine after noon, leave work at the office, and skip late-night TV.
Oversleeping may be a sign of depression or a treatable sleep disorder, so talk
with your doctor.
Have a Blood Test
Many diabetes symptoms are silent.
A simple blood test can reveal whether sugar levels put you at risk for
the condition. People with prediabetes—slightly elevated blood sugar levels,
between 100 and 125 mg/dl—often develop a full-blown case within 10 years.
Knowing your blood sugar levels are a little high can put you on a track to
steadying them—with simple diet and exercise changes—before diabetes sets in
and medications may be necessary.
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