Diabetes Prevention

  • Diabetes
    Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder in which the body has difficulty regulating its blood glucose or blood sugar level.  The burden of diabetes is increasing globally, particularly in developing countries. While the causes are complex, but the increase is in large part due to rapid increases in overweight, including obesity and physical inactivity. There is good evidence that a large proportion of cases of diabetes and its complications can be prevented by a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco.
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 1 November 2015

Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented but onset of Type 2 diabetes in most cases may be prevented by watching your diet, managing your weight and changing your lifestyle. At the very least the progression of Type 2 diabetes can be managed.

Simple steps to prevent Type 2 Diabetes

  • Shed the pounds! Lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI to prevent risk of Type 2 Diabetes 
  • Get moving! A daily cardiovascular exercise regime of minimum 30-40 minutes is most beneficial.
  • Watch what you eat! A diet low in carbohydrates, sugar, fatty & processed foods is increasing becoming the choice for a healthy lifestyle.
  • Reduce alcohol intake! An occasional glass of wine is known to be helpful but nothing more.
  • Kick the butt! Quitting smoking is known to significantly reduce risk of diabetes and heart conditions. 
  • Unwind! Keep stress at bay by using relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation etc.

See this in an infographic: 6 Easy Ways to Prevent Diabetes

​Read our Diabetes Management section

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Stories

  • How to Prevent Diabetes if You Are At Pre-Diabetic Stage
    Diabetes continues to affect so many people, who continue to struggle to contain and manage it.  Meenu Agarwal, a clinical dietician and nutritionist based in Singapore shares tips on how to prevent diabetes.  There are two stages where if detected, diabetes can be brought to control more easily: Pre-Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes Pre-diabetes: It means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin or your pancreas is not producing as much insulin as required…
  • Medications that Increase or Decrease Blood Glucose Levels!
    In the second part of the series on drug interactions that persons with diabetes should watch out for, we talk of which medicines increase or decrease your blood glucose level and what you should watch out for. Often persons with diabetes are on medications other than the diabetes drugs (oral or injectable). They may be on some medications for life for chronic conditions (such as thyroid, mental disorders etc) or acute conditions (such as allergies, infections etc). Drug interactions are known…
  • Image of a jar of water with cucumber and mint. Risk of Dehydration in Winter
    Are You Drinking Enough Water in Winter?
    People often fail to recognize the significant dangers of dehydration in winter, dismissing it as a health concern of hot, summer months. Dr Shital Raval corrects this common misconception and advocates why water is crucial even during the cold weather to stay energized. Dehydration is a hidden threat in the months of winter when many people forget to drink as much water as they do in hot summer months. This is a common psychological mistake as we easily forget about hydration in the cold…
  • Is Bariatric Surgery a Good Choice for Controlling Diabetes?
    Bariatric-surgery or weight-loss surgery has been shown to help improve or reverse many obesity-related conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more. Dr. Jaydeep Palep, Bariatric Surgeon at Nanavati Hospital, provides in-depth information on how it can have a positive effect on the health of obese individuals. Bariatric surgery has emerged as a treatment option for obesity and is increasingly recognized to have benefits for glycemic management in patients…
  • Diabetes Medications and their Interactions with Other Medicines
    Most people with chronic conditions take more than 1 drug. According to one study those over the age of 60 take 5 drugs on an average. These can cause unexpected reactions and drug-to-drug interactions. Here is what you need to know: What is drug-to-drug interaction? When a drug taken along with another drug causes an unwanted or counter-productive interaction, such that it affects the activity and efficacy of the other drug, it is term as a drug-to drug interaction. For diabetic patients, this…
  • Roasted Methi Chicken - Diabetes and Heart Friendly Recipe
    A healthy and tasty protein rich, low fat recipe good for everyone - especially people with diabetes contributed by Diabetes Awareness and You Ingredients: Chicken (Boneless): 50 gms Sour curd : 50 gms Ginger: 1 teaspoon (Paste) Garlic: 1 teaspoon (Paste) Green chillies: 1 teaspoon (Paste) Salt to taste Methi saag: 20 gms (Paste) Oil: For Brushing 1 teaspoon 2.5 ml Cabbage Leaf: 1 big piece Lime Juice: 1 teaspoon (Juice) Procedure: 1. Wash Chicken Properly 2. Marinate with all the ingredients…
  • Hara Bhara Soya Tikki - A Diabetes Friendly Recipe
    A protein rich high fibre snack recipe good for everyone - especially people with diabetes contributed by Diabetes Awareness and You Hara Bhara Soya Tikkis Preparation Time: 15 mins Cooking time: 20 mins Number of Tikkis: 6 Ingredients: Half cup soya granules, coarsely grinded 1 Cup blanched and chopped spinach ¼ cup of chopped coriander leaves 1 teaspoon ginger paste 1 teaspoon garlic paste 2 teaspoon of roasted Channa dal 10 gm potatoes 2 teaspoon of Bengal gram flour ¼ Cup of Tomatoes ¼ Cup…
  • Mistakes of Diabetes Management showing a glucometer and a fruit
    Seven Most Common Mistakes in diabetes Management
    Meenu Agarwal, a clinical dietician and nutritionist based in Singapore shares the common mistakes people make while managing diabetes Diet and lifestyle plays a very important role in Diabetes management and need proper care and attention. The importance of diet cannot be overemphasised. In this article I will try to cover some of the most common mistakes that we make on a daily basis. 1. Having long gaps between meals: Large gaps between meals lead to high levels of sugar fluctuation. When…
  • Stress Brought On My Diabetes Sooner
    Bina Patel, 59 has Type 2 Diabetes and lives in Vadodara, Gujarat. She talks of her challenges in managing her condition and hopes her learnings and tips will help the community. Also, which home remedies work? Bina, when were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes at the age of 47 (about 12 years ago). One day, I just couldn’t get out of bed and so I met my GP about it. He suggested I get a blood test done. The blood test showed my blood sugar to be 300 mg/dl. At the time my GP…
  • How to Control Diabetes during Pregnancy
    Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju talks about the risks of Gestational Diabetes and how it should be avoided or controlled for the sake of the health of the mother and the child to be born. Gestational Diabetes, or GD, is high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy and usually disappears once the baby is delivered. Usually GD develops during the second half of the pregnancy and in most women the symptoms of diabetes are not noticeable. The risk of developing GD increases if: Mother has pre-…