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Beyond the Scale: What You Need to Know About Diabetes Risk
Factors
Special to The Truth
When it comes to Type II
diabetes, many only consider weight when examining their
risk. Diabetes is complicated however, and risk factors are
numerous.
Some of the confusion is
potentially reflected in statistics. From 1980 through 2011,
the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes more than
tripled, from 5.6 million to 20.9 million, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and millions
more have pre-diabetes or are undiagnosed.
On the bright side,
cutting-edge research has uncovered strategies for avoiding,
controlling and even reversing diabetes.
“It’s tempting to think
that there’s not much you can do except take medication and
hope for the best,” says George L. King, M.D., Chief
Scientific Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center, professor of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School and author of the new
book, “The Diabetes Reset.” “However, anyone can improve
their body’s response to insulin and its ability to
metabolize glucose in the blood.”
Each individual’s glucose
control problems are unique, which is why King offers a
range of evidence-based, diabetes-fighting strategies in his
book. Here he shares a few:
Diet
A recent study by Dr. King
and his Joslin colleagues has shown that insulin
sensitivity, glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk can
all be significantly improved by switching to a low-fat,
high-fiber diet consisting of 70 percent carbohydrates, 15
percent fat and 15 percent protein, including 15 grams of
dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed.
This dietary approach,
known as the Rural Asian Diet, is easy to maintain, as it
doesn’t call for restricting calories or totally avoiding
any particular food group. While many diabetes experts
promote restricting carbohydrates, this diet distinguishes
between refined carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates,
which are high in fiber, and will be converted into blood
glucose much more slowly.
Weight Loss
If your BMI is above 25
and you’re able to reduce your body weight by 5 to 7
percent, you can reduce your insulin resistance and improve
your glucose metabolism. Be advised, many doctors feel that
BMI is of limited value in determining a diabetes risk
because it doesn’t distinguish between fat and lean tissue
or between different types of body fat. Abdominal fat is the
most dangerous type of fat in terms of diabetes risk, so
many doctors use waist circumference as an additional
measurement.
Exercise
Your muscles can lose
insulin sensitivity due to inactivity. This can be largely
reversed through a combination of 150 minutes of aerobic
activity per week plus weekly strength training sessions.
Together, these activities can increase your muscles’
ability to oxidize fats, glucose and other fuels, while also
helping you lose weight.
Sleep
There is mounting evidence
that lack of sleep can contribute to insulin resistance and
possibly causes damage to the pancreas, putting you at
heightened risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Attempt
to get seven to eight hours of high-quality sleep every
night to improve insulin sensitivity.
More diabetes-strategies
can be found at www.workman.com.
Whether you have diabetes
or not, understanding this disease and how it can be
controlled can significantly improve your overall health.
Courtesy StatePoint
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