Lowering your risk for Diabetes through Lifestyle Changes

by Julia Hanf

Scientists studying diabetes do not yet completing understand all the factors governing the disease. What makes one person get diabetes, while another person does not? This puzzling question is complicated by the fact that diabetes appears in several forms. Most people (90%) with diabetes have Type 2; Type 1 diabetes is the second most common form.

Individuals at risk for diabetes and those already suffering from it are lucky because many lifestyle choices can help prevent or control the condition. Of course, factors like genetics are not alterable, but healthy lifestyle changes can benefit even people with a genetic risk for diabetes.

The most significant controllable risk factor for Type 2 diabetes is obesity. Obesity can be controlled through diet and exercise, even in individuals with a genetic tendency to be overweight. A high BMI (body mass index) is usually an indicator of obesity; fortunately, BMI’s can be lowered.

Beyond simply being overweight, where the majority of excess body fat resides plays a role in the odds of contracting Type 2 diabetes. Those who tend to store body fat around the waist are at higher risk. While that in itself is largely a genetic issue – some individuals are naturally pear-shaped, others are not – the results can be influenced by diet and exercise.

For reasons not clearly understood, where body fat is carried plays a greater role in the development of diabetes than merely being obese. People who store fat more around the middle of their body are at greater risk for diabetes than those whose weight is more evenly distributed. Fat storage is determined primarily by genetics, but diet and exercise can also control it.

Exercise is almost a magic formula to control diabetes, since it attacks several of the disease’s risk factors. Unsteady glucose levels, high blood pressure and high bad cholesterol are all risk factors for diabetes. Exercise is “magic” because it can help control each of these risk factors.

Of course, exercise is not really “magic,” it is a choice and so is diet. These healthy lifestyle choices can give you power over diabetes. Even if you are at high risk for diabetes or already have the condition, you have some ways to control it.

About the Author:
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