Top 4 Lifestyle Changes for Successful Diabetes Management | News

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body regulates blood sugar. There are two main types: Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune condition, usually diagnosed in childhood, where the beta cells do not produce insulin. This requires lifelong insulin injections.

Type 2 diabetes: Often in adults, this type involves insulin resistance, where the body produces insulin but cannot use it effectively, or the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Some studies show that by the time Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, up to 50% of the cells are no longer functional. Type 2 develops over time and often causes low blood sugar, which can damage blood vessels, especially in organs such as the eyes and kidneys.

Additionally, prediabetes — a precursor to Type 2 diabetes — occurs when insulin resistance occurs, but blood sugar levels are not high enough to be considered Type 2 diabetes. is becoming dangerously common, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that more than 1 in 3 American adults have prediabetes, and more than 8 in 10 adults have prediabetes while let them know they have it.

Karen Studer, MD, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, offers the following lifestyle changes for people with any type of diabetes, including prediabetes.

One of the most effective and important ways to control blood sugar is to eliminate sugary drinks from your diet. This includes:

Even seemingly healthy drinks, such as fruit juice, can cause rapid blood sugar spikes because they are full of sugar without the fiber found in whole fruits.

Instead of drinking the mentioned drinks, Studer suggests the following alternatives:

There are two main ways for glucose to enter the cells: insulin or physical activity. Studer explains that exercise is important for controlling blood sugar levels, especially after meals.

“After eating, light exercise can mimic the effect of insulin by opening the cells for glucose to enter,” Studer says. “For people with prediabetes or diabetes, if they exercise in some way after eating, even if it’s just walking, they open up the cells for sugar to enter, which reduces the amount of sugar left in the blood.”

Read: Power walking: steps to health

For some people – especially those who do not use insulin – Studer says that reducing daily meals from three to two can improve blood sugar control. A controlled diabetes study found that eating smaller, larger meals, such as breakfast and lunch, may be beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

However, this method may not be suitable for everyone. If you take insulin or other blood sugar-lowering medications, talk to your doctor first to make sure this change is safe for you.

Saturated fats and processed foods worsen insulin resistance and contribute to high blood sugar levels. Saturated fats, such as red meat, full-fat dairy products, and fried foods, can raise cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease – a common problem in people with with diabetes.

Processed foods, such as fast food, frozen foods, and candy, often contain refined sugars and unhealthy fats, which can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, leading to be difficult to maintain stable sugar levels.

Studer recommends eating a whole, plant-based diet. Whole foods not only help improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control, but this type of eating can lead to remission of prediabetes.

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, Loma Linda University’s Diabetes Center is recognized by the American Diabetes Association for providing the most up-to-date and accurate patient management education for people with the disease. of sugar. If you have not been diagnosed with diabetes, make an appointment to assess your risk factors and take the necessary steps to prevent diabetes.