- Focus on Your Diet
Cut sugar and refined carbs from your diet. Your body rapidly breaks these foods down into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream which can put at-risk individuals on the fast track to developing diabetes.
- Get Physically Active
Regular exercise can help you reach or maintain a healthy weight as well as help reduce stress, control blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Regular exercise may also help increase your cellular sensitivity to insulin. One study found that moderate-intensity exercise increased insulin sensitivity in people with prediabetes by 51% and high-intensity exercise increased it by 85%.[1]
- Choose Water, Coffee, or Tea
Sugary beverages like soda and punch have been linked to an increased risk of both type 2 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes of adults.
- Increase Fibre Intake
A high-fiber diet helps with regulating your digestion along with the release of leptin and ghrelin. These hormones are essential in losing weight, helping you to feel full and preventing diabetes. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is responsible for water absorption in your intestinal tract, slowing the process of digestion and helping you to feel fuller, longer. Insoluble fiber increases your rate of digestion, prevents constipation and helps with weight maintenance. You need both soluble and insoluble fiber for a healthy and balanced diet.
- Get Some Sleep
Research has shown poor sleeping habits may reduce insulin sensitivity and promote weight gain.[2]
- Hit Your D-Spot
Studies have found that people who don’t get enough vitamin D have a greater risk of all types of diabetes. [3] One study found that people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 43% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest blood levels.[4] Researchers have also found that children who took vitamin D supplements had a 78% lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes than children who received less than the recommended amount of vitamin D.[5]
References:
- Rynders CA et al. Effects of exercise intensity on postprandial improvement in glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity in prediabetic adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Jan;99(1):220-8. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-2687. Epub 2013 Dec 20.
- Dijk DJ. Slow-wave sleep, diabetes, and the sympathetic nervous system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jan 29;105(4):1107-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0711635105. Epub 2008 Jan 22.
- Yeow TP et al. Impact of Vitamin D Replacement on Markers of Glucose Metabolism and Cardio-Metabolic Risk in Women with Former Gestational Diabetes–A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 9;10(6):e0129017. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129017. eCollection 2015.
- Mitri J, Muraru MD, Pittas AG. Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep;65(9):1005-15. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.118. Epub 2011 Jul 6.
- Hyppönen E et al. Intake of vitamin D and risk of type 1 diabetes: a birth-cohort study. Lancet. 2001 Nov 3;358(9292):1500-3.
