Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to turn food into energy.
The risks of developing diabetes can include being 45 or older and having certain lifestyle behaviors, such as carrying excess weight, being physically inactive, and having a poor diet. Diabetes is more common in families with a health history of the disease, especially among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. If you are at risk, you can prevent type 2 diabetes by making some healthy lifestyle changes:
Reach a healthy weight
A small weight loss of 5-7 percent can reduce the risk of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Physical activity
Add more activity to your day. Select an activity that you enjoy. Build up your activity slowly until you reach 30 minutes a day.
Healthy food choices
Add more fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy items, and lean meats. Cook with healthy oils (canola or olive
oil). Bake, broil, steam, or grill instead of frying.
The right portion
Fill half your plate with fresh fruit/vegetables and salad, a quarter with lean meat, and a quarter with whole grains.
Routine checkups
Schedule a routine physical exam with your health care provider. Talk about your risk of developing diabetes and healthy lifestyle changes that you can make. It is also important to discuss early screening tests that can identify diabetes.
For information about lifestyle changes, email [email protected] or call 1-800-355-0885. We are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT.
KnovaSolutions® is a clinical prevention service to help Alliance Health Plan members better understand and manage their medical care, treatments, and medications via telephone and email. The KnovaSolutions clinical team focuses on the member as a whole, not just the health complications they may be facing, by providing access to health information and support in making the best health decisions possible.
Supporting facts and citations:
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/preventtype-2/index.html
Healthwise resource: Prediabetes: Which Treatment Should I Use to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? (upmc.com)
