Meteorologists can often warn us of impending bad weather. Doctors can often do the same with our health–warning us when we’re at risk for a serious disease.
An example: a condition called prediabetes.
If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, it means you have a blood glucose (sugar) level that is creeping up. Your level isn’t high enough yet to be called type 2 diabetes, but it is abnormally high. The condition is basically a warning that screams, ‘Pay attention! Danger ahead!’ That’s because your risk of developing full-blown diabetes is increased with prediabetes. And once you have diabetes, it never goes away.
But here’s the good news: If you act now, you can slow this trip toward diabetes. You may even be able to stop it altogether.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), you can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent if you:
- Lose just 7 percent of your body weight, or about 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds.
- Exercise moderately–taking a brisk walk, for example–30 minutes a day, five days a week.
These may require turning off the TV, prioritizing schedules to make time for exercise, and eating and shopping in a new way. A healthy diet is one that cuts back on calories and fat and emphasizes low-fat or nonfat dairy products; whole grains; lean meats; dried beans; fish; and lots of fruits and vegetables.
By taking positive steps now to control prediabetes, you can put yourself on the path to better health–a path that just might lead to a life without diabetes.
To learn more about prediabetes, visit a Rex Diabetes Education Center near you.
Source: Coffey Communications. Published with permission.