Both my paternal grandparents have/had type II diabetes and my dad as well as 3 of his 4 siblings have it.
So what can I do to prevent it? I have already lost about 10% of my bodyweight, I eat a reasonably healthy diet, I exercise regularly, I do not know what I should do beyond that. I just read that two drinks a day can lower the risk of getting type II diabetes, but I don’t know if i’ll do that.
I’ve had my urine tested and there is no glucose, but i’m only 25 right now.
If you’re not already consuming alcohol already, I wouldn’t add that.
I think what you’re doing is the right thing - I don’t know if you still have more weight to lose, but getting to an “ideal” weight would help, if 10% hasn’t already gotten you there.
I’m not sure about that. I’ve done alot of reading in the last few weeks and the obesity crisis is vastly overrated. I’m not sure if obesity in and of itself causes diabetes.
Also, eating a high fiber breakfast can cut insulin resistance syndrome, and since I already do that I have that going for me.
Go here: http://www.ndep.nih.gov/campaigns/SmallSteps/SmallSteps_overview.htm
A well-researched, well-cited and fully linked website devoted to the prevention of diabetes type II in susceptible individuals.
Bottom line? Exercise more, lose weight if you’re above your ideal body weight.
Also, smoking can’t help.
… prevent diabetes.
Jeez, I shouldn’t post when I’ve been sampling the homebrew.
Wish I’d known this stuff twenty years ago. Good luck. (I’d get a Hemoglobin A1C test too.)
The HgbA1C test is only for monitoring known diabetics, not diagnosing a case of diabetes. Many diabetics can have perfectly normal A1C levels yet have the disease without knowing it.
The problem is (i’ve been doing alot of reading) is losing 5% of your bodyweight alone going to help with diabetes or is that 5% of bodyweight just a nice consequence of eating healthier and exercising? Will a person who loses 5% of their bodyweight through bulimia and the grapefruit diet obtain any health benefits?
I’m wholly behind healthy eating and exercise, and I eat a high fiber breakfast & I get my glucose tested. I don’t really want to do moderate drinking for my health, but aside from that I guess that is about all I can do.
If you’re not doing at least 1 hour of aerobic exercise three times a week, up your exercise to that level- I’m not sure what you class as “regular” exercise. Try to keep your BMI under 25 and cut down on the amount of refined sugar, salt and fat you eat.
Here are some more wbsites with good information based on clinical trials.
http://www.jssm.org/suppls/1/v2s1-abst.php
http://www.residentandstaff.com/article.cfm?ID=155
WARNING:PDF
http://www.bhfactive.org.uk/reviews/rev_downloads/bhf_conf/rob_andrews_talk.pdf
WARNING:PDF
Irishgirl, I was taught that aerobic exercise only needed to be 15-20 minutes a day. Has this changed in the past 20 years, or is the 1 hour a day figure just to burn some extra calories?
1hour, 3 times a week of moderate aerobic exercise such as jogging, cycling,swimming or playing a sport is recommended for people trying to lose weight, increase their fitness or manage hypercholesterolaemia or diabetes.
20-30 mins a day of light activity (walking, yoga, pilates, Tai Chi) is the absolute bare minimum of what a physically capable person should be doing. If you walk to and from work or a bus-stop or subway station, or walk to your local deli for lunch, or climb stairs at work, you’ll be doing that amount without even thinking about it.If you drive to work and have a sedentary job, or work from home, you may need to schedule your exercise in.
In addition 1 hour a week of aerobic exercise and 30mins of strength or weight training will keep you in tip-top shape. Again, playing with your kids, walking or jogging with your dog, and making beds/doing laundry or carrying the groceries in from the car might mean that you do this without thinking, otherwise schedule it in.
This is info from our Physiotherapy department, who tend to know what they’re talking about, but I’m sorry, I don’t know exactly where these recommendations come from.
Getting BMI below 25 is probably unnecessary to prevent diabetes, and for a variety of reasons telling people to lose weight to prevent diabetes is a dangerous, fallacious idea (I will explain in depth if you’d like). Do you have any evidence that getting BMI below 25 has any major benefits? If it does, are the benefits of a lower BMI important (meaning, can’t a person get more benefits from minor alcohol consumption, eating fiber, etc)
As far as I recall from several lectures by one of our Endocrinologists, obesity and type 2 diabetes are linked, but it’s a chicken and egg question as to what comes first.
Type 2 diabetes is almost unknown in people with a BMI in the “ideal” weight range (20-25) more common in the overweight (25-30) and commoner still in the obese (BMI over 30). Keeping your BMI under 25 (or between 25-30, if you prefer more leeway) if you have a strong family history of the disease is a reasonable precaution, not only are you less likely to develop the disease, but should you do so, the prognosis wrt to cardiovascular disease is better for those with a BMI under 30, than for those with a BMI over 30.
I’m very interested to hear your views on the matter, because if I’m being taught rubbish, believe me, I want my ignorance fought!
I apologise if that last sentence reads as snarky or sarcastic, it’s not meant that way at all. Seriously, fight my ignorance!