People with risk factors related to type 2 diabetes can prevent the condition in two ways. One can prevent these risks using lifestyle or medications ways.
The risk factors may include a state in which blood sugar levels are high than usual but not so high enough for you to have a diabetes diagnosis. Hence, blood sugar regulation is crucial for diabetes prevention.
Type 2 diabetes is the most kind of diabetes that can be easily developed. You may have overweight
or have a sibling or parent with type 2 diabetes.
You may have had gestational diabetes, which is developed when one is pregnant. These are a few examples of aspects that can increase your chances of having type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can lead to serious health problems, including stroke, heart disease, foot and eye problems. Prediabetes can also cause health problems. The good thing is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed.
You are likely to have health problems the longer you have diabetes disease. Therefore, delaying diabetes by a few years is beneficial to your health.
You can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes by following a reduced-calorie diet plan, losing excess weight, and being physically fit and active most weekdays.
The type 2 diabetes symptoms
In this type of diabetes, your body usually cannot effectively utilize insulin to bring the glucose into your cells.
This forces your body to depend on alternative sources of energy in your muscles, tissues, and organs. This is a reaction that may cause different types of symptoms.
Type 2 diabetes can start to develop slowly, and the symptoms could be easy to overlook at first. The early symptoms include:
• Constant hunger
• Lack of energy
• Fatigue
• Excess thirst
• Frequent urination
• Blurry vision
As the illness progresses, the symptoms start to be more severe, leading to potentially dangerous complications.
If the blood glucose levels have stayed high for long, the difficulties may include:
• Eye problems
• Numbness on your neuropathy or extremities
• Kidney disease
• Gum diseases
• Stroke or heart attack
Type 2 diabetes causes
Insulin is a naturally occurring hormone. The pancreas produces and releases it once you eat. It assists in transportation glucose from the bloodstream to cells, although your body is utilized for energy.
The body becomes insulin resistant if one is suffering from type 2 diabetes. The body does not use the hormone efficiently, forcing the pancreas to work more to produce more insulin.
Over time, cells in your pancreas can be damaged and eventually, the pancreas may not be in a position to produce insulin.
If the body does not produce or use sufficiently insulin, the glucose form up in the bloodstream. This makes your body cells starve for energy.
Chances of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes Are if:
• You are 45 years old and above.
• There is a genetic predisposition in your family for developing obesity which can trigger diabetes and insulin resistance.
• There is a genetic predisposition in your family for developing type 2 diabetes.
How can we prevent diabetes type 2 in lifestyle
The prevention of diabetes type 2 includes adopting different types of lifestyle practices that help you health-wise and offer advantages such as better sleep and more energy.
Preventing type 2 diabetes in lifestyle includes:
Eating nutritious diet
Nutrition and food are essential to consider in the diet and avoid harmful food.
The recommended diet includes:
• Fruits
• Nonstarchy vegetables like
• broccoli and spinach.
• Lean protein chicken, fish and turkey
• Whole grains like brown rice and quinoa
• Unsweetened beverages and water
• You should avoid processed food, sugary drinks, alcohol and trans fats.
Attain and maintain an average weight
People with prediabetes mostly have excess body weight. By losing 5 per cent of their weight, they can reverse their prediabetes.
It also helps one to learn about amount control. One way of achieving this is by using plate control. The plate control shows the appropriate amount of foods to include in a dinner plate.
It's advisable to that:
• Half of the plate should have nonstarchy vegetables.
• One quarter should have carbohydrates.
• The other quarter should have protein-rich foods.
It's also important to note the following:
• Reduce the intake of fats and calories
• Easting breakfast daily
• The maximum of watching tv per week should be approximately 10hours
• Monitor the bodyweight progress once per week
Get regular exercise
Exercising helps in all ways of health, including preventing diabetes. One should aim at exercising in a minimum of 30 minutes on each of the five days of a week.
If an individual is unaccustomed to doing exercise, it's good to talk to a physician to determine the best activities.
It's beneficial when people set a fitness target and work towards achieving their goals.
Avoid smoking
Smoker has over 30 per cent risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to nonsmokers. Additionally, the more one smokes, the more chances are of developing the illness.
However, the sooner one quits smoking, the earlier one gets the benefits. Studies state that insulin becomes effective eight weeks after a person ceases. Insulin refers to the hormone that decreases blood sugar levels.
You can quit smoking by:
• Setting the date of quitting
• Asking for support from others
• Quitting on the same date as a family member or friend if possible.
• Throwing away all the lighters, cigarettes and ashtrays
• Consulting a doctor about the use of spray or nicotine
• Consider counselling, hypnosis or acupuncture.
How to prevent type 2 diabetes on medication
Lifestyle changes may control type 2 diabetes; however, if not, several medications may be of help. Some of the medications are:
• Metformin
Metformin may lower blood glucose levels and boost your body response to insulin. It's the number one choice for many people.
• Sulfonylureas
They are oral treatments that assist the body to produce more insulin.
• Meglitinides
They are fast-acting and short duration medications that help the pancreas release more insulin.
• Thiazolidinediones
It helps your body to be sensitive to insulin.
• DPP-4 (Dipeptidyl peptidase 4) inhibitors
They help in minimizing the blood glucose levels
• Glucagon- such as peptide-1 agonist
It slows the digestion process and boosts blood glucose levels.
• SGLT2 (Sodium-glucose Cotrasporter-2 ) Inhibitors
It assists your kidney to get rid of sugar in your body via urine.