Introduction
Eating the wrong foods can have serious consequences for your health, and diabetes is one of the most serious. Diabetes is a chronic condition that can lead to serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Fortunately, experts have identified certain foods that can increase your risk of developing diabetes, and they’re warning people to stop eating them. On the other hand, there are also certain foods that can help reduce your risk of diabetes. In this article, we’ll look at both sides of the equation and provide you with some tips on what to eat and what to avoid in order to reduce your risk of diabetes.
Stop Doing This or You’ll Risk Diabetes, Warn Experts — Eat This Not That
Experts are warning that certain lifestyle choices can increase your risk of developing diabetes. Eating unhealthy foods, not exercising, and smoking are all behaviors that can increase your risk of developing the disease.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding smoking are all important steps to take.
Eat This, Not That
When it comes to eating, experts recommend avoiding processed and sugary foods. Instead, focus on eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Eating a variety of foods from all the food groups is important for maintaining a healthy diet.
In addition, it’s important to limit your intake of saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium. Eating too much of these can increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly is also important for reducing your risk of diabetes. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day. This can include walking, jogging, swimming, or biking. Exercise helps to keep your body healthy and can help to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking is another risk factor for developing diabetes. If you smoke, it’s important to quit as soon as possible. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and other health problems.
Making healthy lifestyle choices is important for reducing your risk of developing diabetes. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding smoking are all important steps to take. By making these changes, you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and live a healthier life.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects 34.2 million Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are three main types of diabetes type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes and the disease can occur in children and adults. If left untreated or undiagnosed, diabetes can cause a heart attack, kidney failure, coma and death. Lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form. Read the five tips below to find out more about diabetes and how to help prevent the disease—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
The International Diabetes Federation states that 537 million people worldwide live with diabetes—that’s 1 in 10 people. This number is expected to greatly increase to 643 million by 2030 and 784 million by 2045. So far this year 6.7 million people have died from diabetes, 1 person every five seconds. “As the world marks the centenary of the discovery of insulin, I wish we could say we’ve stopped the rising tide of diabetes,” IDF President Dr. Andrew Boulton told CNN. “Instead, diabetes is currently a pandemic of unprecedented magnitude.”
People with diabetes are at a greater risk for COVID according to a recent study published in February from the American Diabetes Association. “And if you want another startling statistic, as many as 40% of the people that have died in the US from COVID-19 had diabetes,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association. “There may be more people developing diabetes because of Covid,” Gabbay told CNN. It’s very possible that COVID-19 is not the culprit. Blood sugar abnormalities could be triggered by the stress of an infection and the steroids used to fight COVID-19 inflammation, Gabbay said. But there is also evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can bind to the ACE2 receptors in the islet cells of the pancreas — the organ that produces the body’s insulin, Boulton and Gabbay told CNN. “The virus attacks those cells in the pancreas and interferes with their production of insulin, so that may be another mechanism,” Gabbay said. “And those individuals that are diagnosed in the hospital with diabetes for the first time, through whichever mechanism, sadly do worse.”
Boulton told CNN, “Studies in Finland a few decades ago found that people with “very slight elevated blood sugar” who followed a sensible diet and regular exercise “had a 54% reduction in proceeding to Type 2 diabetes.” He added, “And it didn’t have to be flogging yourself in the gym,” he added. “It’s sensible exercising, walking instead of riding the bus and walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, that can do the trick.”
We all know that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you, but it can help prevent diabetes. CNN reports, “Two recent studies found that adding about a third of a cup of fruit or vegetables to your daily diet could cut your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25%, while higher consumptions of whole grains, such as brown bread and oatmeal, could cut the risk by 29%.”
Gabbay told CNN, “People in remission may still be at risk for some of the long-term complications, and therefore, they still need to be monitored, with quarterly blood tests, a yearly eye and foot test, and yearly screening for kidney disease and cholesterol levels.” And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don’t miss these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.