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Diabetes Prevention

Diabetes is a condition caused by high blood sugar due to the malfunctioning of the pancreas leading to a low or insufficient production of insulin. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body fails to produce insulin and therefore the patient is required to inject insulin into his body frequently. Type 2 is where the body produces insulin but the cells fail to efficiently use the insulin produced (Peacock 2000).

Diabetes can be prevented by regular exercise which helps to keep the body fit and maintain a steady flow of blood. Keeping the muscles active improves its ability to absorb glucose and use insulin. Body exercise also helps the body to burn up excess fats that may interfere with the production of insulin by the pancreas. Resistance training mixed with aerobics exercise helps the body to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Reducing the time spent watching television goes a great way in the prevention of diabetes. Statistics say that men who watch 40 hours of television per week have a threefold increase in risk of diabetes.

Maintaining healthy eating habits also helps to prevent diabetes. Cutting down on some foods like processed and red meat will help to reduce the risk of diabetes. The high iron content in the red meat reduces the effectiveness of insulin and also destroys the cells that are responsible for the production of insulin. Besides the iron, red meat also has preservatives which have high levels of nitrites and sodium that could lead to the development of diabetes. Such foods can be substituted with healthy fats and proteins especially white lean meat. Healthy fats are the poly unsaturated liquid vegetable oils and oils from seeds and nuts.

Eating whole grain foods provides the body with necessary nutrient for the production of insulin by the pancreas rather than eating fast foods which may raise the blood sugar levels. It is also advisable to always look for the word “whole” in the packaging of food products. Whole grains have fiber which slows down the rate at which the digestive enzymes breaks down starches to glucose (Woodruff, Sandra 2004). This causes slower increase in blood sugar and therefore the stress on the body’s insulin production mechanism.

Studies show that smoking is highly related to diabetes. This is mainly due to the interrelation between smoking and insulin sensitivity. Smoking cessation significantly increases the insulin sensitivity and therefore it is a preventive measure of diabetes.

Heavy alcohol consumption reduces insulin sensitivity in a person according to studies conducted to investigate the outcome of alcohol consumption to blood sugar levels in the body. Abstaining from alcohol reduces the chances of suffering diabetes by 30 to 40 percent(Petit, Christine 2002). Replacing sugary drinks and beverages with treated water, tea and coffee helps prevent diabetes. This is mainly because coffee and tea are free from calories and good substitutes for sugared beverages.

Weight control is an important way to prevent diabetes. Statistics show that people who are obese have 20 to 40 percent higher chances of developing diabetes whereas an 8 to 10 percent weight loss cuts your probability of developing diabetes by half (Petit, Christine 2002)

Conclusion

In the words of Dr. Smith, a renowned specialist in diabetes studies, the best way to prevent diabetes is to stay lean by every means and also stay active. Avoiding inactivity and watching your dietary habits go a long way to ensure that you can live a healthy life without the risk of developing diabetes. It has also been proven that the above measures are not to be considered in isolation. However, they are to be considered and applied together so as to maintain physical health as well as keep diabetes at bay.

Works Cited

Peacock, Judith. Diabetes. Mankato, MN: LifeMatters, 2000. Print.

Petit, William A., and Christine A. Adamec. The encyclopedia of diabetes. New York: Facts on File, 2002. Print.

Woodruff, Sandra L., and Christopher D. Saudek. The complete diabetes prevention plan: a guide to understanding the emerging epidemic of prediabetes and halting its progression to diabetes. New York: Avery, 2004. Print.

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