Diabetes CAN YOU REDUCE YOUR RISK?

Three Steps That May Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

1. Have your level or blood sugar tested if you are in a high-risk group.  A medical disorder known as prediabetes-a condition in which blood sugar is moderately higher than normal-often precedes type 2 diabetes.  Both conditions are unhealthy, but there is a difference: Although diabetes can be controlled, it cannot yet be cured. On the  other hand, some prediabetics have been able to bring their blood sugar back to normal levels. Prediabetes may have not obvious symptoms. Hence, this condition may go unnoticed. According to reports, about 316 million people around the world have prediabetes; yet, many  of them do not realized it. For instance, in the United States alone, some 90 percent of prediabetes sufferers  are unaware of their condition. 

Prediabetes  is not harmless, however.  Besides being a precursor to type 2 diabetes, it has recently been linked to an increased risk or dementia. If you are overweight, not physically active, or have a family history of diabetes, you might already have prediabetes. A blood test can tell you if you do.

2. Choose healthy food. You might benefit from doing the following whenever it is possible and practical:  Eat smaller portions than usual. Instead of sugary fruit juice or carbonated beverages, drink water, tea, or coffee. Eat whole-grain bread, rice, and pasta-in moderation-rather than refined foods. Eat leaner meats, fish, nuts, and beans.

3. Stay physically active. Exercise can lower your blood sugar and help you maintain a healthy weight. Swap some TV time for exercise time, recommends one expert. 

You cannot change your genes, but you can change your lifestyle. Doing what we can to improve our health is worth the effort.

Next time: Who Will Protect the Web of Life?/Man Against Nature


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