How Does Exercise Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that by 2050, one in three American adults could have diabetes. Exercise, whether aerobic or resistance-based such as weight training, is considered one of the most effective lifestyle habits individuals at risk can adopt to prevent potential cases from becoming actual cases. It has been shown that exercise has a greater protective effect for those at highest risk. In some instances, exercise has a greater beneficial effect than dietary modifications or even weight loss on the management of blood sugar. Effects on Blood Sugar Regulation Exercise causes skeletal muscle to be more sensitive to insulin, the chemical signal that tells cells to absorb glucose. As a result, exercise speeds the clearance of glucose out of the blood and into skeletal muscle cells, which need glucose in higher quantities during increased activity. Exercise also increases blood flow to muscles, thereby making more glucose available for the muscles to absorb. In older individuals, decreased insulin sensitivity, which is a lowered responsiveness of cells to insulin, is common. This is associated primarily with decreased levels of physical activity and is readily reversed through resumption or increase in exercise levels. There is an alternate pathway, carried out by an enzyme called AMP kinase, that initiates glucose transport from blood to cells without the use of insulin. This is especially important and helpful in light of the prevalence of insulin resistance in those at risk for diabetes. Exercise is found to increase levels of AMP kinase. Certain storage and distribution patterns of fat are seen as red flags for health risks. Individuals who have the tendency to store fat around the abdomen are often found to have other health risk facto Continue reading >>
Diabetes Prevention: 5 Tips For Taking Control
Changing your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it's never too late to start. Consider these tips. When it comes to type 2 diabetes — the most common type of diabetes — prevention is a big deal. It's especially important to make diabetes prevention a priority if you're at increased risk of diabetes, such as if you're overweight or you have a family history of the disease. Diabetes prevention is as basic as eating more healthfully, becoming more physically active and losing a few extra pounds. It's never too late to start. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes down the road, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage. Consider the latest diabetes prevention tips from the American Diabetes Association. 1. Get more physical activity There are many benefits to regular physical activity. Exercise can help you: Lose weight Lower your blood sugar Boost your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range Research shows that aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes. The greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both. 2. Get plenty of fiber It's rough, it's tough — and it may help you: Reduce your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control Lower your risk of heart disease Promote weight loss by helping you feel full Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts. 3. Go for whole grains It's not clear why, but whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and cereals. Look Continue reading >>
Exercise And Diet Reduce Risk Of Diabetes, Us Study Shows
Exercise and diet reduce risk of diabetes, US study shows This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Patients vulnerable to type 2 diabetes can more than halve their risk of developing the disease by eating a low fat diet and taking half an hour of exercise a day, says new US research from the National Institutes of Health. The study found that for patients at risk of type 2 diabetes diet and exercise were more effective than the drug metformin at preventing the disease. The findings come from the diabetes prevention programme, a clinical trial comparing diet and exercise with metformin treatment in preventing type 2 diabetes. It was conducted at 27 US medical centres and involved 3234 people with impaired glucose tolerance, a condition that often precedes diabetes. On the advice of the diabetes prevention programme's external data monitoring board, the trial ended a year early because the data had clearly answered the main research questions. The research has not been published in a journal, but a full report of the study is available on the National Institutes of Health website ( www.nih.gov ). Forty five per cent of the participants were from minority groups in whom type 2 diabetes is disproportionately prevalent, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians. The trial also recruited other high risk groups, including people aged 60 and above, women with a history of gestational diabetes, and people with a first degree relative with type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One made intensive lifestyle changes, with the aim of reducing weight by 7% through a low fat diet and exercising for 150 minutes a week. A second was treated twice daily with 850 mg metformi Continue reading >>
Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 84 million American adults—more than 1 out of 3—have prediabetes. Of those with prediabetes, 90% don’t know they have it. Prediabetes puts you at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The good news is that if you have prediabetes, the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you make lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems. Causes Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into cells for use as energy. If you have prediabetes, the cells in your body don’t respond normally to insulin. Your pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond. Eventually your pancreas can’t keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes—and type 2 diabetes down the road. Symptoms & Risk Factors You can have prediabetes for years but have no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected until serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes show up. It’s important to talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested if you have any of the risk factors for prediabetes, which include: Being overweight Being 45 years or older Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes Being physically active less than 3 times a week Ever having gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds Race and ethnicity are also a factor: African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk. Getting Tested You can get a simple blood Continue reading >>
The Exercise Diabetes Solution
[sidebar] Studies have shown that exercise can be as effective as some medications when it comes to beating type 2 diabetes. "Even a little activity can help hugely," says Tim Church, MD, PhD, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. During exercise, glucose gets driven out of the bloodstream and into the muscles for fuel. The more muscle you have, the more excess blood sugar it can store, explains Sheri Colberg-Ochs, PhD, professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University. Plus there's the weight loss that comes with a fitter lifestyle: Dropping pounds improves your insulin response, further lowering glucose levels. While most types of exercise can help, researchers now have a sense of what has the most impact. Here, our proven, three-pronged approach to conquering diabetes. THE PLAN Practice Interval Training How Much? At least once a week for 30 minutes Any type of aerobic activity helps cells sop up sugar, but intervals (alternating high-intensity bursts with low/moderate-intensity recovery) may net the biggest payoff in the least time. One study found that as few as 10 minutes of intense interval training per workout is enough to lower glucose levels by 13% for up to 24 hours in people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, experts say, you should do up to 90 more minutes of moderate activity a week. Make It Work For You: Intervals don't have to entail all-out sprints to do your blood sugar good. Just challenge yourself for a minute or two. It can be as simple as powering up your walking speed for a block. "Picking up the pace even briefly can help with blood sugar control," says Dr. Colberg-Ochs. SPEED YOUR RESULTS The beauty of interval training is that you can do it with virtually any type of aer Continue reading >>
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12 Ways To Avoid Diabetes
Nearly 25 percent of Americans are thought to have prediabetes -- a condition of slightly elevated blood sugar levels that often develops into diabetes within 10 years -- but only 4 percent of people know it. What's worse, of those who are aware, less than half really tried to reduce their risk by losing weight, eating less, and exercising more. These are just a few of the good-for-you habits that can reverse prediabetes and ensure you never get the real thing, which can mean a lifetime of drugs and blood sugar monitoring, an increased risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other scary health threats. Read on for 12 simple tricks everyone can start today. More from Prevention: 12 Ways to Avoid Diabetes Shedding even 10 pounds can significantly slash your risk. Even extremely overweight people were 70 percent less likely to develop diabetes when they lost just 5 percent of their weight -- even if they didn't exercise. If you weigh 175 pounds, that's a little less than 9 pounds! Use our calorie calculator to see how many calories you consume -- and how many you need to shave off your diet -- if you want to lose a little. 12 Ways to Avoid Diabetes Eating greens with a vinaigrette before a starchy entrée may help control your blood sugar levels. In an Arizona State University study, people with type 2 diabetes or a precursor condition called insulin resistance had lower blood sugar levels if they consumed about 2 tablespoons of vinegar just before a high-carb meal. "Vinegar contains acetic acid, which may inactivate certain starch-digesting enzymes, slowing carbohydrate digestion," said lead researcher Carol Johnston. In fact, vinegar's effects may be similar to those of the blood sugar -- lowering medication acarbose (Precose). Before you eat that fettuccine, enj Continue reading >>
Preventing Prediabetes: Is Diet Or Exercise More Important?
Diet may have a slight edge over exercise when it comes to losing weight, but pairing that healthy diet with a regular exercise routine is key if you’re looking to prevent prediabetes. According to a study published in the Summer 2014 issue of The Permanente Journal, an estimated 34 percent of adults in the United States have prediabetes, which means their blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to qualify as full-blown type 2 diabetes. You can chalk some of that up to genetics, but your chances of developing diabetes aren't based on family history alone. Think of it this way: You might inherit a predisposition to the disease, but then something in your environment has to trigger it, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center. “While certain genetic factors influence the likelihood of developing insulin resistance, it’s the lifestyle factors — what we do about it — that determine whether metabolic health worsens or stays intact,” says Theresa Link, RD, CDE, with Virta Health in San Francisco. That means prediabetes is preventable — so long as you make healthy choices. This leads us to the age-old question: Does exercise or diet play a bigger role in keeping you healthy? The Case for a Healthy Diet According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single most important way to prevent diabetes is to control your weight. Research has shown that losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can lower your chances of developing the disease by 58 percent, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. And when weight loss is the No. 1 goal, diet beats out exercise, according to a study published in October 2014 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. After all, losing weight comes down to caloric deficit, and most p Continue reading >>
10 Tips To Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
You can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by understanding your risk and making changes to your lifestyle. Common risk factors include increased weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride (blood fat) levels. Changing the habits of a lifetime isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort. Here are some tips to help you reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Check your risk of diabetes. Take the Life! risk assessment test and learn more about your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A 12+ score indicates that you are at high risk and may be eligible for the Life! program - a free Victorian lifestyle modification program that helps you reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, or call 13 RISK (13 7475). Manage your weight. Excess body fat, particularly if stored around the abdomen, can increase the body’s resistance to the hormone insulin. This can lead to type 2 diabetes. Exercise regularly. Moderate physical activity on most days of the week helps manage weight, reduce blood glucose levels and may also improve blood pressure and cholesterol. Eat a balanced, healthy diet. Reduce the amount of fat in your diet, especially saturated and trans fats. Eat more fruit, vegetables and high-fibre foods. Cut back on salt. Limit takeaway and processed foods. ‘Convenience meals’ are usually high in salt, fat and kilojoules. It’s best to cook for yourself using fresh ingredients whenever possible. Limit your alcohol intake. Too much alcohol can lead to weight gain and may increase your blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Men should have no more than two standard drinks a day and women should have no more than one. Quit smoking. Smokers are twice as likely to develop diabetes as non-smokers. Control your blood pressure. Most people can do th Continue reading >>
Exercise For Diabetes Control
By the dLife Editors In case you haven’t heard: Exercise is really good for people with type 2 diabetes. It helps control blood sugar levels, increases energy levels, improves heart health, and promotes emotional well-being. Barring other medical complications, the majority of people with diabetes can and should exercise for diabetes control and for better overall health and well-being. How does exercise lower blood sugar? Exercise lowers blood sugar in two ways: First, exercise increases insulin sensitivity. This means that your cells are better able to use available insulin to absorb sugar from the bloodstream to be used as energy for your body. Second, exercise stimulates another mechanism that allows your muscles to absorb and use sugar for energy, even without insulin. Not only does exercise lower blood sugar levels in the short term, but exercising over time also contributes to lower A1C levels over time. How important is exercise? Leading a sedentary (or inactive) lifestyle is one of the major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, and the high incidence of obesity and overweight among people with type 2 is also highly correlated with inactivity. Starting a workout program can lower body mass and consequently decrease the insulin resistance of type 2 diabetes; studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes who exercise regularly have better A1c profiles than those who don’t. Along with medical nutrition therapy, exercise is one of the first lines of defense in type 2 diabetes control. In addition, exercise is a key tool in preventing one of the leading complications of type 2 diabetes—cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that regular activity lowers triglyceride levels and blood pressure. How much exercise do you need? The American Diabetes Continue reading >>
13 Ways To Prevent Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Uncontrolled cases can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and other serious conditions. Before diabetes is diagnosed, there is a period where blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This is known as prediabetes. It's estimated that up to 70% of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, progressing from prediabetes to diabetes isn't inevitable (1). Although there are certain factors you can't change — such as your genes, age or past behaviors — there are many actions you can take to reduce the risk of diabetes. Here are 13 ways to avoid getting diabetes. Eating sugary foods and refined carbs can put at-risk individuals on the fast track to developing diabetes. Your body rapidly breaks these foods down into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps sugar get out of the bloodstream and into your body's cells. In people with prediabetes, the body's cells are resistant to insulin's action, so sugar remains high in the blood. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, attempting to bring blood sugar down to a healthy level. Over time, this can lead to progressively higher blood sugar and insulin levels, until the condition eventually turns into type 2 diabetes. Many studies have shown a link between the frequent consumption of sugar or refined carbs and the risk of diabetes. What's more, replacing them with foods that have less of an effect on blood sugar may help reduce your risk (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). A detailed analysis of 37 studies found that people with the highest intakes of fast-digesting carb Continue reading >>
Understanding Diabetes -- Prevention
Because of the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, you can do a great deal to reduce your chance of developing the disease by slimming down if you are overweight. This is especially true if diabetes runs in your family. In fact, studies have shown that exercise and a healthy diet can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in people with pre-diabetes -- a condition that often develops prior to full-blown type 2 diabetes. The medications metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), and acarbose (Precose) have also been shown to be effective in delaying or preventing type 2 diabetes in those at risk. In someone who already has diabetes, exercise and a nutritionally balanced diet can greatly limit the effects of both types 1 and 2 diabetes on your body. In diabetics, stopping smoking is one of the best ways to help prevent the damaging effects of diabetes. If you smoke, quit; smoking dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, particularly for people with diabetes. Continue reading >>
Exercise And Type 2 Diabetes
Go to: Introduction Diabetes has become a widespread epidemic, primarily because of the increasing prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007, almost 24 million Americans had diabetes, with one-quarter of those, or six million, undiagnosed (261). Currently, it is estimated that almost 60 million U.S. residents also have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose (BG) levels are above normal, thus greatly increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes (261). Lifetime risk estimates suggest that one in three Americans born in 2000 or later will develop diabetes, but in high-risk ethnic populations, closer to 50% may develop it (200). Type 2 diabetes is a significant cause of premature mortality and morbidity related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), blindness, kidney and nerve disease, and amputation (261). Although regular physical activity (PA) may prevent or delay diabetes and its complications (10,46,89,112,176,208,259,294), most people with type 2 diabetes are not active (193). In this article, the broader term “physical activity” (defined as “bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that substantially increases energy expenditure”) is used interchangeably with “exercise,” which is defined as “a subset of PA done with the intention of developing physical fitness (i.e., cardiovascular [CV], strength, and flexibility training).” The intent is to recognize that many types of physical movement may have a positive effect on physical fitness, morbidity, and mortality in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diagnosis, classification, and etiology of diabetes Currently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends the use of any of the following four criteria for di Continue reading >>
- You CAN beat diabetes! Strict diet, exercise and drugs helps reverse type 2 diabetes
- The how, what, and why of exercise and type-2 diabetes
- Get off your backside! It's madness for the NHS to spend millions fighting type 2 diabetes when the simple cure is exercise, says DR MICHAEL MOSLEY, who reversed HIS own diabetes
Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity
Nutrition and physical activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle when you have diabetes. Along with other benefits, following a healthy meal plan and being active can help you keep your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, in your target range. To manage your blood glucose, you need to balance what you eat and drink with physical activity and diabetes medicine, if you take any. What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all important in keeping your blood glucose level in the range that your health care team recommends. Becoming more active and making changes in what you eat and drink can seem challenging at first. You may find it easier to start with small changes and get help from your family, friends, and health care team. Eating well and being physically active most days of the week can help you keep your blood glucose level, blood pressure, and cholesterol in your target ranges prevent or delay diabetes problems feel good and have more energy What foods can I eat if I have diabetes? You may worry that having diabetes means going without foods you enjoy. The good news is that you can still eat your favorite foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions or enjoy them less often. Your health care team will help create a diabetes meal plan for you that meets your needs and likes. The key to eating with diabetes is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, in the amounts your meal plan outlines. The food groups are vegetables nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes starchy: includes potatoes, corn, and green peas fruits—includes oranges, melon, berries, apples, bananas, and grapes grains—at least half of your grains for the day should be whole grains includes wheat, rice, oats, co Continue reading >>
Can Exercise Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? Your Genes May Be Key
home / diabetes center / diabetes a-z list / can exercise prevent type 2 diabetes? article Can Exercise Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? Your Genes May Be Key Want More News? Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters! TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For millions of overweight Americans, regular exercise remains a prime weapon against excess weight and the threat of type 2 diabetes . However, a new study suggests that the battle may be tougher for some than for others, depending on their genes. "While physical activity generally promotes good health, it may not be as effective for everyone when it comes to preventing or treating type 2 diabetes ," said one expert, Dr. Ruth Loos, director of the Genetics of Obesity and Related Metabolic Traits Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City. While it's long been known that physical activity can cut diabetes risk, the influence of genes on this protective effect hasn't been clear, according to background information from the study. In the study, researchers led by Dr. Yann Klimentidis of the University of Arizona examined interactions between physical activity, genetics and diabetes risk in more than 8,100 white Americans, including 821 with type 2 diabetes . They found that exercise provided less protection against diabetes in people at high genetic risk for diabetes and insulin resistance . Insulin resistance, a precursor to full-blown diabetes, is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it efficiently. The study was published Sept. 29 in the journal Diabetologia. While certain diabetes-linked genes seemed to blunt the benefits of exercise for both men and women, women seemed most affected, the Arizona team noted. Loos, who is associate editor at Diabetologia and helped edit t Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Prevention
You may be able to prevent type 2 diabetes. Even if you have several of the risk factors and even if you’ve been told you have pre-diabetes, you can take action and reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Don’t delay: if you’ve been told that you’re at risk of developing diabetes, get started as soon as possible. Your healthcare provider can help you develop a plan, but it should include: Getting to—and staying at—a healthy weight: Being overweight (BMI greater than 25) increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, so if you’re overweight, you should take steps to lose weight. By losing 5% to 10% of your body weight, you can reduce your risk. You can do this by eating smaller portions and being more physically active, which, conveniently enough, are two other ways to prevent type 2 diabetes. Reduce portions and eat healthier: You should choose healthier food choices by reducing portions and limiting added fat and sugar. Choose more whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats and dairy products. Seek out new, healthy recipes; there are many cookbooks that offer lower-fat and healthier recipes. A terrific rule to follow is: everything in moderation. Reduce portion sizes overall. Limit your intake of alcohol; you don’t have to entirely avoid it. Eat small, well-balanced meals spread throughout the day; larger meals can make it more difficult to keep your blood glucose level in a healthy range. Exercising: Exercise is important to help prevent type 2 diabetes because it has so many benefits. It can help you lose weight, and if you’re insulin resistant, it can help your body increase its sensitivity to insulin (exercise can help you use insulin better). Plus, exercise keeps your heart strong, makes you sleep better, and can even put you in a better mood. Continue reading >>
