6 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
While factors such as racism and discrimination, as well as access to healthy food, education, and exercise are broader societal issues beyond most individuals’ direct control, many factors are not.
“Even with genetics and a family history of diabetes, you still have control through lifestyle intervention,” says Pennant.
Here are six ways to reduce your risk of diabetes.
1. Get Screened
“Typically, if you have a parent or a sibling with diabetes, you are [considered] at risk,” says Omar El Kawkgi, MBBCh, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He advises those in this group who are older than 35 to get screened.
Also, keep in mind that the standard A1C test may not be enough for Black Americans to receive a diagnosis. In fact, for some, it may inaccurately estimate their blood sugar control. But if all signs point to diabetes, ask your doctor for another test, such as a fasting or glucose tolerance test.
2. Practice Heart-Healthy Habits
Consider heart-healthier cooking methods, like baking, broiling, and grilling instead of frying foods, says Dr. El Kawgi. Opt for fish, lean meats, and legumes like beans and lentils over processed meats, red meat, and fatty cuts of meat. Also consider using olive oil and avocado oil instead of butter, margarine, and mayonnaise, and cut back on salt as well.
3. Watch Your Sugar Intake
“A key message I tell patients is to watch their sugar intake, because it’s one of the biggest drivers of heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain,” says Pennant.
Metabolically, sugary drinks are insidious. Sugary beverages are high in added sugar and don’t offer nutrition, leading to weight gain and increasing cravings for more sugary products. Their high refined carbohydrate content increases the risk of insulin resistance, inflammation, and impaired β-cell function, a combination of factors that sets the stage for type 2 diabetes.
Pennant recommends filling half your plate with vegetables at each meal and eating more whole fruit instead of drinking fruit juice to reduce your sugar intake and increase the amount of satiating fiber in your diet. Most Americans do not get enough dietary fiber, but this nutrient can be protective against metabolic disease including diabetes.
4. Get Moving
You can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, and you can increase your chances of weight loss success by exercising for a minimum of 150 minutes a week alongside eating a balanced diet.
Exercise is particularly beneficial for people at risk of type 2 diabetes because it helps increase insulin sensitivity, thereby helping the body use glucose more efficiently.
If you’re new to exercise, Pennant recommends starting small. You don’t have to go to the gym to get a lot of movement. Simple lifestyle changes like going on a brisk 30-minute daily walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a big difference in increasing your physical activity, she says.
5. Don’t Smoke, or Quit if You Do
Smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t have this habit. Smoking increases inflammation in the body and disrupts the way your cells function, potentially interfering with how your body uses insulin.
If you do develop type 2 diabetes, continuing to smoke can further elevate your risk of diabetes complications such as stroke and heart disease.
6. Seek Preventive Care
Although accessing quality medical care and forming a positive doctor-patient relationship is challenging for many Black Americans, Pennant says that, if possible, regular checkups with your primary care physician, eye doctor, dentist, and foot doctor can all help you spot warning signs sooner, reduce your risk of diabetes, and increase your chances of getting the right treatment if you end up receiving a diagnosis.
Pennant recommends asking your doctor for a referral to a specialist, particularly if you’re having a hard time losing weight,
Pay attention to potential symptoms, too, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, increased hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, and areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck.
“These [symptoms] may be signs that your body is making a lot of insulin to keep your blood sugar normal,” says Pennant. They could be indications of diabetes, prediabetes, or the need for continued monitoring.
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