According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, approximately 10% of American adults will develop type 2 diabetes within their lifetime. The means that millions of American adults are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
Many lifestyle factors can contribute to the development of this condition, including obesity, an unhealthy diet, and a sedentary lifestyle.
Maybe you have recently learned that you are one of these individuals who has a high probability of developing this condition. You might be overweight or have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes.(https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html).
The longer you live with diabetes, the higher your chances are of developing other health conditions. So, delaying diabetes as long as you can will benefit your health in the long run. Some measures you can take to help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes is by losing weight, eating a reduced-calorie diet, and exercise.
An additional step is to consult your family doctor about any additional measures you can take such as medications to help delay Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: The Disease Caused By Your Lifestyle
Because type 2 diabetes is considered a “lifestyle disease,” there are things that you CAN DO to either reverse the condition or greatly improve your prognosis.
Here’s what you need to know:
How Type 2 Diabetes Develops
Type 2 diabetes can be a little difficult to understand, as there is no single cause for this condition. In some cases, your body may naturally develop insulin resistance, which contributes to an increase in blood sugar levels and an eventual type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
In other cases, excess fat in the body may slow insulin absorption over an extended period of time. This causes type 2 diabetes in the long-term. When your type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle choices, your chances of achieving reversal or remission is much greater.
Steps To Help Lower Your Risk Of Developing Type 2 Diabetes
There are quite a few steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Here are some lifestyle habits you can change to help lower your risk:
You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing weight and keeping it off.
Exercise.
Try to get about 30 minutes of exercise daily. Start slow and build up to your goal.
Eat A Healthy Diet.
Try eating smaller portions to reduce the number of calories each day. Eat foods that are lower in fat is another way to reduce calories. Drink water instead of soda or sweetened drinks.
Maintain A Healthy Weight.
Obesity is a huge risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
According to the Obesity Action Community,
”…at all ages, the risk of type 2 diabetes rises with increasing body weight. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is three to seven times higher in those who are affected by obesity than in normal weight adults and is 20 times more likely in those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m 2”
Obesity Action Community
https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/obesity-and-type-2-diabetes/
Diet & Weight Loss – Remission Or Reversal?
A study published in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine determined that just how much weight you lose through diet and exercise will help to determine whether you enter into diabetes remission or true reversal. This study, in particular, found that one specific protocol helped 75% of study participants into a state of reversal within 3 months.
Thanks to a low-calorie diet (about 1,340 calories a day) and weight loss (about 7.5 pounds in total), participants were able to improve their health and reverse their diagnosis indefinitely. The study also found that those participants who eventually gained the weight back were more likely to have their diagnosis return within a few short months.
Preventing Diabetes
While it’s important to know what you can do to reverse type 2 diabetes, there’s no guarantee that you’ll achieve full-remission or reversal. With that said, it’s more important than ever to prevent diabetes from developing in the first place.
Guess what? The steps that you can take for preventing Type 2 Diabetes are pretty much exactly the same as you would use for trying to reverse Type 2 Diabetes
Here Are Some Tips For How You Can Do That:
- Get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week.
- Cut refined carbohydrates, sugary beverages, and trans fats from your diet.
- Quit smoking altogether.
- Consume fewer carbs to keep your blood glucose levels under control.
- Visit your doctor regularly to undergo blood glucose and A1C testing.
- Stay active and avoid being sedentary.
- Cope with stress in a healthy way as soon as possible.
The Best Way To Entirely Avoid Diabetes Is By Staying Active, Eating Healthy Food, And Staying At A Healthy Weight.
Also, visiting your doctor regularly is a great way to catch a type 2 diabetes diagnosis early, which can help you to pursue treatment as soon as possible.
What Should Be Considered As A Last Resort: Bariatric Surgery
A study published in Diabetes Spectrum reveals that about 90% of those with type 2 diabetes are considered overweight or even obese. If you’re severely overweight and your current diabetes prognosis is grim, your doctor may suggest immediate treatment in the form of bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery.
The results of this surgery in diabetics can be substantial. A study published in Diabetes Care found that bariatric surgery can reduce deaths caused by type 2 diabetes by up to 92%. The combination of weight loss, lower appetite, and better insulin control have the potential to put a diabetes diagnosis into remission, at least temporarily.
What To Do Next If I Am Diagnosed With Prediabetes
Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes is serious because it increases your chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
The same factors that increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes also increase you at risk for prediabetes. Sometimes prediabetes in referred to as borderline diabetes. About 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/type-2-diabetes).
If you have prediabetes, you can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes as mentioned earlier.
For The Women In Our Lives:
You may have developed gestational diabetes which develops during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes can cause other serious conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney, liver, and foot illnesses. Some good news is that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented.
How To Lower Your Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes If You Had Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193).
Usually, gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth. Even though your gestational diabetes resolves you are still at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Your child also has an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. Healthy choices can help you and your family from becoming obese or developing diabetes. Involving the entire family in physically active is a great way to reduce the risks of developing type 2 diabetes.
Here is a list of steps you can take for yourself and your child if you had gestational diabetes:
- Get tested for diabetes 2-3 months after your baby is born. If your blood sugar is still high, you may have type 2 diabetes.
- If your blood sugar is normal, you should take precautionary measures to get tested every 3 years to see if you have developed type 2 diabetes.
- Be more active and eat a healthy diet in order to get back to a healthy weight.
- Breastfeeding will give your child the proper balance of nutrients and it also helps you to burn calories.
Conclusion: Some Final Thoughts
While it’s true that type 2 diabetes can be reversed in some cases, most reversals are simply long-term remissions. In fact, your type 2 diabetes may return if you resort back to your unhealthy habits or gain weight once again. With that said, you want to do what you can to avoid diabetes altogether.
Talk to your health care provider about what other lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
The best chance for preventing type 2 diabetes is by making lifestyle changes that work long term. Losing weight with a healthy diet and exercise can help you prevent type 2 diabetes.
Be A Man – Do The Right Thing. It’s Your Life. It’s Your Choice. Take Care Of Yourself. Eat Right And Exercise.
BAM!!! Be A Man! Do The Right Thing.
Be the DtRTy Guy!
