Lake Mary Doctors Discuss Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects more than 24 million Americans. Less than half of the people affected by this disease aren’t aware they even have it. It’s the leading cause in blindness, kidney failure, creates circulation problems and increases the chance of heart disease. What many people don’t know is that type 2 Diabetes is highly preventable.

diabetes



What Is Type 2 Diabetes?


Diabetes takes place when the body can’t use the insulin it produces or it can’t make enough of it. Type 2 Diabetes, unlike Type 1 can take years to develop. It begins to attack the muscle cells and in result other cells in the body stop responding to the insulin signal to absorb glucose. In return the body starts producing more and more insulin to signal the response. Eventually the insulin producing cells get exhausted and start to fail and that introduces Type 2 Diabetes.

Ways to Lower Your Risk

Although Type 2 Diabetes can be an inherited disease, making a few lifestyle changes can lower you risk of obtaining the disease.

  • Control Your Weight
    Being overweight is the number one cause of Type 2 Diabetes. Excess weight can highly increase the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Make sure to stay in your healthy weight limits. If you are above the healthy weight limit loosing weight can help you cut you chances of developing Diabetes in half. People who are overweight are more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes.

  • Stay Active
    Inactivity increases your risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes. When you work out your muscles frequently and push them harder than normal it improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. A study done by the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals showed that walking briskly for at least 30 min a day reduced the chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes by 30 percent.

  • Adjust Your Diet
    Try to eat whole grains instead of processed carbohydrates because whole grains protect against diabetes. Skip sugary drinks and replace it with water. The Nurses’ Health Study shows that for every 12 ounces of a sugary drink you consume your risk for diabetes rises about 25 percent. Choose the good fats instead of the bad ones. Limited your consumption of red meat and avoid processed meat all together. Get your protein from nuts, whole grains, poultry and fish if you can.

  • Quit Smoking
    If you are a smoker quit don’t just reduce the amount you smoke. Smokers are 50 percent more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes.

  • Avoid Alcohol
    This isn’t for just the people diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes it’s a prevention mechanism. Cutting down your alcohol consumption now will help you prevent diabetes in the long run. The important thing is keeping the amount of alcohol you drink at a moderate level because the higher the amount of alcohol consumption the increase in your risk.

The key to helping prevent development of diabetes is simple. Stay healthy and active. Keep your diet balanced and get rid of all the unhealthy activities in your life and you will be on your way of decreasing the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes. If you have any questions or would like to come in for a visit to discuss your diabetes, call and make an appointment with our Lake Mary doctors today.

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Sunstate Medical Associates, Lake Mary, FL

Phone (appointments): 407-318-2843 | Phone (general inquiries): 407-333-3303

Address: 758 North Sun Drive, Suite 104, Lake Mary, FL 32746