A Healthy Lifestyle Could Reduce Your Risk for Diabetes by 80%
Diabetes continues to be at the forefront of health news —
and for good reason. According to the American Diabetes
Association, 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes
in the U.S. alone. Why the epidemic? It has a lot to do with
lifestyle choices. In fact, a recent study has found that
living a healthy lifestyle could cut your risk of diabetes by
as much as 80%.
Researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
have of course known for some time that diet, exercise,
smoking and drinking have an impact on whether someone
is likely to develop type 2 diabetes. What they didn’t know
was how each individual factor affects the risk.
So they devised a clinical trial that looked at physical
activity, healthy diet, body weight, alcohol consumption,
and smoking. The team collected data on 114,996 men and
92,483 women, 50 to 71 years of age, who took part in the
National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.
None of these individuals had diabetes, cancer or heart
disease at the start of the study.
Over 10 years of follow-up, 9.6% of the men and 7.5% of
the women developed diabetes, the researchers found.
They
then looked at each risk factor individually. They
determined that, for each additional healthy lifestyle factor,
the risk of developing diabetes was reduced 31% for men
and 39% for women. Having a normal weight by itself, for
example, reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 60%
to
70%. And eating a healthy diet reduced the risk by about
15%, while not smoking lowered the risk by about 20%.
The bottom line? The more healthy lifestyle factors you
have, the more you could lower the risk for developing
diabetes. In fact, you could reduce your chances of
developing the disease by 80%.
The researchers concluded by saying that, even in middle
age, you can reap the benefits of healthy lifestyle. In other
words, it’s never too late!
To help you out, here are eight tips for staying diabetes-
free. Use this health advice to remind you what you should
be doing to lower your risk:
–Exercise. Anything will do. Walk, bike, swim, use weight
machines, play a sport.
–Don’t smoke.
–Stick to one alcoholic drink (for women) or two (for men)
alcoholic drinks per day.
–Eat fruits and vegetables every day.
–Eat whole grains and avoid carbs made with refined
white
flour.
–Eat lean meats in moderation.
–Use healthy fats, such as olive oil, and keep your
cholesterol in check.
–Stay away from refined sugar as much as possible. Reach
for natural sweeteners such as a little maple syrup or honey
instead.
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