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Editorial Posted On Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | PS Prakasa Rao lists some time-tested measures for fighting the debilitating disease diabetes
Nearly 15% of Indians are thought to have prediabetes ie a condition of slightly elevated blood sugar levels that often develops into diabetes within 10 years but only 4% of people know it. This condition is growing at a scary rate, but diabetes is also one of the most preventable diseases around.
What's worse, of those who are aware, less than half really tried to reduce their risk by losing weight, eating less, and exercising more. These are just a few of the good-for-you habits that can reverse prediabetes and ensure you never get diabetes. The following simple steps may be all it takes to stay healthy and stop worrying about sugar problems.
1. Nudge the Scale: Shedding even 5 Kgs can significantly slash your risk. Even extremely overweight people were 70% less likely to develop diabetes when they lost just 5% of their weight even if they didn't exercise.
2. Exercise Regularly: Walk as much as you can every day. You'll be healthier even if you don't lose any weight. People who exercised the most up to 4 hours a week, or about 35 minutes a day dropped their risk of diabetes by 80%, even if they didn't lose any weight.
3. Be a Cereal Connoisseur: Selecting the right cereal can help you slim down and steady blood sugar. A higher whole grain intake is also linked to lower rates of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke.
4. Indulge Your Coffee Cravings: If you're a coffee fan, keep on sipping. The beverage may keep diabetes at bay. Sipping 4 to 5 cups cut risk about 29%; 1 to 3 cups per day had little effect. But decaf coffee offered no protection.
5. Ditch the Drive-Thru: You might get away with an occasional fast-food splurge, but become a regular fast feeder and your risk of diabetes skyrockets as many fast food meals are loaded with unhealthy Trans fats and refined carbohydrates, which may raise diabetes risk even if your weight remains stable.
6. Go Veggie More Often: Consider red meat a treat but not something to eat every day. People who ate red meat at least 5 times a week had a 29% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who ate it less than once a week. Scientists suspect the cholesterol in red meat and the additives in processed meat are to blame.
7. Unwind Every Day: Chronic stress can send blood sugar levels soaring. Stress triggers your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Under stress, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, raising blood sugar levels to prepare you for action. The good news is, simple relaxation exercises and other stress management moves can help you gain control over blood sugar levels. 8. Get a Perfect Night's Rest: There's a sleep sweet spot when it comes to preventing diabetes. A study of 1,709 men found that those who regularly got less than 6 hours of shut-eye doubled their diabetes risk; those who slept more than 8 hours tripled their odds. For a good night's rest, avoid caffeine after noon, leave work at the office, and skip late-night TV.
9. Keep Good Company: Diabetes is more likely to strike people who live alone.
10. Have a Blood Test: Many diabetes symptoms are silent. A simple blood test can reveal whether sugar levels put you at risk for the condition. People with prediabetes i.e. slightly elevated blood sugar levels, between 100 and 125 mg/dl often develop a full-blown case within 10 years. Knowing your blood sugar levels are a little high can put you on a track to steadying them with simple diet and exercise changes before diabetes sets in and medications may be necessary.
Finally, Everyone 45 and older should have their blood sugar levels tested. Younger people who have risk factors such as being overweight, a family history, and high cholesterol and blood pressure should ask a doctor about getting tested sooner. If results are normal, get tested again within 3 years. If you have prediabetes, blood sugar should be tested again in 1 to 2 years.
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010