Lifestyle Changes For Diabetes: 6 Habits That Help Lower Blood Sugar
Lifestyle Changes for Diabetes: 6 Habits that Help Lower Blood Sugar These tweaks give your pancreas a helping hand. Medication and blood glucose meters play important roles in type 2 diabetes management, but dont turn a blind eye to your everyday habits. In fact, the right lifestyle changes could be enough to keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range, without medication. Heres what lifestyle changes endocrinologists and other health experts recommend to manage type 2 diabetes. Clean up your diet. Limit sugar, white flour and other refined grains, and starchy vegetables, which can spike blood glucose levels. Instead, choose non-starchy vegetables and whole grains as much as possible. Get moving. In addition to helping manage weight, exercise improves the bodys ability to use up glucose for energy, which reduces the excess sugar in the bloodstream, according to Joan Pagano, an exercise physiologist in New York City. The official recommendation is 150 minutes of exercise a week. Learn more about exercising with diabetes here. Lose weight. Excess weight can make diabetes symptoms worse, and losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can help regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance. Make sleep a priority. If youre not sleeping well, during the day you feel sluggish, youre tired, and then you get more cravings, says Sandra Arvalo, RDN, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Diabetes Educators. Lets be honest: Few of us opt to munch on broccoli when were falling asleep at their desk; were usually more drawn to the quick, carby foods like chips or sweets. The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your numbers are, so its a vicious cycle, says Arvalo. Reduce stress. Both emotional and physical stress produce hormones that can worsen insulin resista Continue reading >>
Diabetes: Adding Lifestyle Changes To Medication Can Deliver A Knockout Punch
Diabetes: Adding lifestyle changes to medication can deliver a knockout punch Monique Tello, MD, MPH , Contributing Editor Plenty of research supports the common-sense notion that a healthy lifestyle can prevent or treat many diseases. A diet high in fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plant protein and low in processed carbs, added sugars, saturated fats; regular physical activity; and emotional well-being are the potent treatments that can prevent the need for or even replace many prescription medications. Yet lifestyle interventions are still not mainstreamed into primary care. The power of lifestyle changes for diabetes Here is yet another study supporting intensive lifestyle intervention, this time for diabetes. The study authors seem to downplay their findings, which, frankly, baffled me. Im happy to enthusiastically report that this study strongly confirms what Ive often observed over the past 15 years in medicine: the way we live and what we put in our mouths can be way more powerful than many of the pills were prescribed. Basically, the study authors recruited 98 people with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes who were all pretty similar. They had had diabetes for less than 10 years and their blood sugars were not completely out of control (HbA1c* less than 9%); they were not on insulin; they all had a body mass index between 25 and 40 (that is, they were overweight). They divided people into two groups for a year. Both groups stayed on their regular medications. The standard care group (34 people) received basic counseling and education in type 2 diabetes, including lifestyle advice by a nurse at the start of the study and again every three months. The other group (64 people) also received a pretty intensive lifestyle intervention: five to six exercise sessions per Continue reading >>
What It's Like To Manage Type 2 Diabetes With Lifestyle Changes | Everyday Health
Its Saturday morning. In your life before type 2 diabetes, that meant sleeping in before sitting down to a big breakfast. The day ahead? Maybe watching a college football game on TV, or sitting in a comfortable chair with a book. That was then. This is now, and youre learning to manage diabetes through lifestyle changes. Saturday morning means getting up and checking your blood-sugar levels. Then its a healthy, balanced breakfast. Then you set out for a long walk, a trip to the gym, or a bike ride. That afternoon football game or reading you once enjoyed? Absolutely fine, as long as youve exercised and eaten well earlier in the day just lay off the chips you used to snack on as you relaxed. Must-Do Basics for Type 2 Diabetes Management As you manage diabetes through lifestyle changes, your goal is to keep your blood-sugar levels steady and within a narrow range. Your healthcare provider will advise you on how often you should check your blood-sugar levels . Depending on your situation, your doctor may recommend that you test once a day, or more often. Your doctor will also set the blood-sugar numbers you should aim for in your results. There are several types of devices you can use to test a drop of blood from your finger; your diabetes care team can help you choose the one thats right for you. Diabetes doesnt take a day off, and now that you've been diagnosed, neither should you. Your basic battle plan: Before you developed diabetes, you may have frequently eaten on the fly, skipped meals, and relied on fast food. Now, you choose fresh fruits and vegetables; lean proteins, like poultry and fish; and high-fiber foods, such as whole-grain breads and cereals, brown rice, and oatmeal. When youre cooking , you use low-fat cooking methods and broil, bake, stir-fry, or grill Continue reading >>
Nutrition And Lifestyle Modifications For Diabetes Patients
Home / Resources / Articles / Nutrition and Lifestyle Modifications for Diabetes Patients Nutrition and Lifestyle Modifications for Diabetes Patients Lifestyle change is the new trend for managing a patients diabetes, according to research. It is well established that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a progressive metabolic disorder, characterized by hallmark signs such as hyperglycemia, which is due to a deficiency of the hormone insulin. Besides glucose control, which is essential for patients who have DM, there is a strong need for patients to maintain a healthy and balanced life in order to avoid any complications. There are essentially seven key self-preservation behaviors in patients with diabetes that predict healthy outcomes, namely: eating well, being physically active, monitoring blood sugar regularly, compliance and adherence to the medications prescribed, good problem-solving skills, healthy coping skills and risk-reduction behaviors. All seven of these behaviors have proven to show a positive correlation with good glycemic control, reduction of complications and improvement in quality of life. Individuals with diabetes have been shown to make a drastic impact on the advancement and development of their disease by partaking in their own care. Despite this fact, when looking at a longer-term change in individuals, compliance and adherence to these activities is incredibly low. In a new study published in US Endocrinology, researchers examined the effectiveness of nutrition and lifestyle modifications in improving diabetes outcomes. One of their essential focuses was on the ABCs of diabetes management: A1c, blood pressure and cholesterol. Maintaining an A1c level of about 7%, keeping your blood pressure <140/90mmHg, and maintaining LDL at <100mg/dL (with no cardiova Continue reading >>
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Vm -- Type 2 Diabetes: Lifestyle Changes And Drug Treatment, Mar 09 ... Virtual Mentor
Type 2 Diabetes: Lifestyle Changes and Drug Treatment The principal therapies for type 2 diabetes and the benefits and possible side effects associated with each. More than 23 million individuals in the United States have diabetesa figure that creates great urgency for finding the most effective and safest methods for treatment. Data show that therapies that lower hyperglycemia to the normoglycemic range can reduce morbidity, cardiovascular mortality, and microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes [1-3]. Likewise, intensive treatment strategies for type 2 diabetes have demonstrated a reduction in microvascular disease, but more recent data show no reduction in macrovascular disease [4-7]. Due to the potential for complications, initial treatment for decreasing hyperglycemia should be patient-specific and adjusted to achieve the American Diabetes Association (ADA) target A1c level of less than 7 percent [8]. While oral and injectable pharmacotherapies and insulin are often needed to maintain this level, the importance and benefit of lifestyle changes should not be undervalued. According to the 2008 consensus statement from the ADA and European Association for the Study of Diabetes, lifestyle interventions and metformin therapy should be started concurrently upon diagnosis of type 2 diabetes [9]. Learning Objective Identify principal therapies for type 2 diabetes and understand the benefits and potential side effects associated with each. In selecting treatment for chronic disease, the mechanism of the disease should be considered. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, for example, contribute to the risk for and development of type 2 diabetes. Obesity is also a factor in insulin resistance, which is a major cause of elevated glucose levels. Weight reduction and an incre Continue reading >>
Diabetes Management Guidelines
Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes—2016. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(suppl 1):S1-S106. Available here. Refer to source document for full recommendations, including class of recommendation and level of evidence. Jump to a topic or click back/next at the bottom of each page Lifestyle Changes Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) The ADA acknowledges that there is no one-size-fits-all eating pattern for individuals with type 2 diabetes. MNT is recommended for all individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as part of an overall treatment plan, preferably provided by a registered dietitian skilled in diabetes MNT Goals of MNT: A healthful eating pattern to improve overall health, specifically: Achievement and maintenance of weight goals Attainment of individualized glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid goals Type 2 diabetes prevention or delay Attain individualized glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid goals Achieve and maintain body weight goals Delay or prevent diabetes complications Nutrition guidelines from the ADA are available. Click here for summary recommendations on coordinating foods with diabetes medications, eating patterns, and more. Physical Activity Adults with diabetes Exercise programs should include ≥150 min/wk moderate-intensity aerobic activity (50%-70% max heart rate), spread over ≥3 days/wk with no more than 2 consecutive days without exercise Resistance training ≥2 times/wk (in absence of contraindications)* Reduce sedentary time = break up >90 minutes spent sitting Evaluate patients for contraindications prohibiting certain types of exercise before recommending exercise program† Consider age and previous level of physical activity Children with diabetes, prediabetes ≥60 min physical activity/day *Adults with typ Continue reading >>
6 Lifestyle Changes To Control Your Diabetes
Working closely with your doctor, you can manage your diabetes by focusing on six key changes in your daily life. 1. Eat healthy. This is crucial when you have diabetes, because what you eat affects your blood sugar. No foods are strictly off-limits. Focus on eating only as much as your body needs. Get plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Choose nonfat dairy and lean meats. Limit foods that are high in sugar and fat. Remember that carbohydrates turn into sugar, so watch your carb intake. Try to keep it about the same from meal to meal. This is even more important if you take insulin or drugs to control your blood sugars. 2. Exercise. If you're not active now, it’s time to start. You don't have to join a gym and do cross-training. Just walk, ride a bike, or play active video games. Your goal should be 30 minutes of activity that makes you sweat and breathe a little harder most days of the week. An active lifestyle helps you control your diabetes by bringing down your blood sugar. It also lowers your chances of getting heart disease. Plus, it can help you lose extra pounds and ease stress. 3. Get checkups. See your doctor at least twice a year. Diabetes raises your odds of heart disease. So learn your numbers: cholesterol, blood pressure, and A1c (average blood sugar over 3 months). Get a full eye exam every year. Visit a foot doctor to check for problems like foot ulcers and nerve damage. 4. Manage stress. When you're stressed, your blood sugar levels go up. And when you're anxious, you may not manage your diabetes well. You may forget to exercise, eat right, or take your medicines. Find ways to relieve stress -- through deep breathing, yoga, or hobbies that relax you. 5. Stop smoking. Diabetes makes you more likely to have health problems like heart disease Continue reading >>
Lifestyle Changes To Manage Type 2 Diabetes
You can improve your overall health, lower your blood sugar levels, and lower your chance of having a heart attack or stroke by changing your diet and activities. Here are a few things you can do to stay as healthy as possible after you've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Maintain a healthy body weight Many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Losing weight and keeping it off will help you control your blood sugar and make you feel better. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat. It is based on your height and weight. Go to to calculate your BMI. A healthy BMI is less than 25. If your BMI is more than 25, talk with your doctor about things you can do to lose weight. Begin by setting a goal to lose 7 percent of your current weight. For example, if you weigh 250 pounds, your first goal will be to lose 18 pounds. Losing any amount of weight and keeping it off will improve your health, so don't get discouraged if you lose the weight slowly. Combining a healthy diet with exercise is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Make healthy food choices Less than 25 percent of your calories should come from fat. Avoid fatty foods like deli meats, hot dogs, snack foods, and pastries. If reducing the amount of fat from calories does not help you lose weight, decrease the total number of calories you consume. The number of calories you should consume each day depends on how much you weigh. Exercise regularly Getting at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, like walking, biking, and swimming, will help you lose weight and keep it off, and it can help keep your heart healthy. Spread your exercise out over several days each week (for example, five sessions of 30 minutes each). Try not to go more than two days without exercising. If you do not have any m Continue reading >>
Lifestyle Changes For Type 2 Diabetes
Physical activity and diet changes and often advised to those at high risk Lifestyle changes are often advised for people at higher risk of diabetes and those who are newly diagnosed with type 2, to help manage their diabetes. The recommended lifestyle interventions include: Taking two and a half hours each week of moderate intensity physical activity or one hour and 15 minutes of high intensity exercise. Losing weight gradually to achieve a healthy body mass index Replacing refined carbohydrates with wholegrain foods and increase intake of vegetables and other foods high in dietary fibre Reducing the amount of saturated fat in the diet NICE recommend taking either 2 hours of moderate intensity physical activity or 1 hours of intense exercise. Moderate intensity physical activity includes: Cycling either rapidly or over steep terrain Some people may be able to be referred for structured or supervised exercise sessions . Guideline issued by NICE recommend those that are overweight aim to lose weight gradually until a healthy BMI is achieved. Or between 18.5 and 22.9 for people of South Asian descent For those with a BMI above the healthy range, NICE recommends aiming to achieve weight loss gradually, with a target to reduce weight by 5 to 10% over a period of a year. Weight loss can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetes and can enable people with existing pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes to better control blood glucose levels. If you have a BMI of over 30, your GP may refer you to take part in a structured weight loss programme. People unable to achieve weight loss via lifestyle changes may be prescribed a weight loss pill called orlistat. The general dietary advice from NICE to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes is to decrease intakes of fat and increase intake of Continue reading >>
Diabetes: Lifestyle Changes & Prevention
Diabetes has become an overwhelming public health concern. Almost 16 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that 6.2 million of these individuals do not know that they have diabetes. In 2007, 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older. One in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime. Pre-diabetes, the condition that exists before Type 2 diabetes develops, affects 57 million people. You may have pre-diabetes if a fasting blood glucose is between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), a two-hour glucose tolerance test is 140-199, or your hemoglobin A1c is 5.7-6.4%. This may also be called impaired fasting glucose, hyperglycemia or abnormal glucose value. No matter what you call it, a fasting blood glucose between 100 and 125 is cause for concern – and action. Pre-diabetes is the warning that Type 2 diabetes is developing. Preventing Type 2 diabetes The Diabetes Prevention Program was a major research project that looked at what helps prevent Type 2 diabetes, once an elevated fasting blood glucose is diagnosed. The project, in part, followed overweight people who began exercising and losing weight. Of the overweight individuals who started exercising 30 minutes/day for at least 5 days/week and lost 7% of their weight, 58% did not develop Type 2 diabetes. Of the overweight individuals who lost 10% or more of their weight, 90% did not develop Type 2 diabetes. Weight loss – combined with exercise – is the single most important factor that will stop the progression toward Type 2 diabetes in overweight individuals. Weight management Can you think of one change you can make today to help yourself lose weight? Cutting out 250 extra calories per day will help you to lose ½ pound Continue reading >>
Living Healthy With Diabetes
Making healthy food choices, including controlling portion sizes and reading food labels, is an essential step in maintaining a proper body weight and preventing or managing diabetes. Individuals with prediabetes or diabetes have additional food considerations, especially limiting simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs are found in foods like table sugar, cake, soda, candy, and jellies, and consuming them causes an increase in blood glucose. With so many food options, it can be difficult realize which ones are healthy. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, this chart will help you determine the best choices. Include Limit Fiber-rich Whole Grains (for example: oatmeal, barley, brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole wheat, and corn) Sweets and added sugars (for example: table sugars sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrups, high- fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey, soda, fruit drinks, candy, cake, and jellies) Fish at least twice per week, especially high in omega-3 fatty acid (such as: salmon, lake trout, mackerel, and herring) Fatty meats (such as: fatty beef and pork) Chicken or turkey (without the skin) Sodium 9The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams a day and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day.) Lean beef (round, sirloin, chuck, and loin) Cholesterol (consume less than 300 mg per day) Fruits and Vegetables (deeply colored such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries) Partially hydrogenated or trans fats (contained in hard margarine, shortening, cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, pies, muffins, doughnuts, and French fries) Vegetable oils and margarines (soft/tub or liquid) Saturated fats (contained in dairy products such as butter, whole milk, 2% milk and cheese, fatty meats and poultry, cocon Continue reading >>
Prediabetes And Lifestyle Modification: Time To Prevent A Preventable Disease
Go to: Abstract More than 100 million Americans have prediabetes or diabetes. Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes have an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. An estimated 34% of adults have prediabetes. Prediabetes is now recognized as a reversible condition that increases an individual’s risk for development of diabetes. Lifestyle risk factors for prediabetes include overweight and physical inactivity. Increasing awareness and risk stratification of individuals with prediabetes may help physicians understand potential interventions that may help decrease the percentage of patients in their panels in whom diabetes develops. If untreated, 37% of the individuals with prediabetes may have diabetes in 4 years. Lifestyle intervention may decrease the percentage of prediabetic patients in whom diabetes develops to 20%. Long-term data also suggest that lifestyle intervention may decrease the risk of prediabetes progressing to diabetes for as long as 10 years. To prevent 1 case of diabetes during a 3-year period, 6.9 persons would have to participate in the lifestyle intervention program. In addition, recent data suggest that the difference in direct and indirect costs to care for a patient with prediabetes vs a patient with diabetes may be as much as $7000 per year. Investment in a diabetes prevention program now may have a substantial return on investment in the future and help prevent a preventable disease. Distribution of members with prediabetes by body mass index for Kaiser Permanente Southern California Antelope Valley and Kern Service Areas Body mass index, kg/m2 Antelope Valley, no. (%) Kern, no. (%) ≥ 30 4403 (54) 3534 (51) 25–29 2192 Continue reading >>
Lifestyle Changes To Manage Type 1 Diabetes
Lifestyle Changes to Manage Type 1 Diabetes DISCLAIMER: This Health Library is for educational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the services provided by this practice/facility. Main Page Risk Factors Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Screening Complications Reducing Your Risk Talking to Your Doctor Living With Type 1 Diabetes Resource Guide What and how much you eat, when and how much insulin you take, and how much you exercise are major factors in diabetes management that you can control. It is important for you to learn how to eat a healthful diet and to incorporate regular exercise into your daily life. The dietary guidelines for managing diabetes can seem complicated. However, you will see that the recommendations are the same as those for general good health, and you can eat the same foods as everyone else. A nutritionist can help you make sense of these guidelines and help you develop healthy eating patterns that will work for you. Ask your doctor for a referral to a certified diabetes educator (CDE) registered nutritionist. The basic eating guidelines for people with type 1 diabetes are: Eat 3 balanced meals per day and do not skip meals. Try to eat meals at the same time each day, with about the same amount of carbohydrate, protein, and fat as the same meal the day before. In case a meal is delayed, keep snacks with you at all times. Your blood sugar rises and falls in response to your eating patterns. Therefore, by eating about the same amount and types of food at the same times each day, you can easily predict when your blood sugar level will rise. This makes it easier to match your insulin dose with these rises in blood sugar. To make sure that you are getting the nutrients that you need, follow the US Department of Agricultures ChooseMyPlate guidel Continue reading >>
Diabetes Management: How Lifestyle, Daily Routine Affect Blood Sugar
Diabetes management requires awareness. Know what makes your blood sugar level rise and fall — And how to control these day-to-day factors. Keeping your blood sugar levels within the range recommended by your doctor can be challenging. That's because many things make your blood sugar levels change, sometimes unexpectedly. Following are some factors that can affect your blood sugar levels. Food Healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living — with or without diabetes. But if you have diabetes, you need to know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. It's not only the type of food you eat but also how much you eat and the combinations of food types you eat. What to do: Learn about carbohydrate counting and portion sizes. A key to many diabetes management plans is learning how to count carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the foods that often have the biggest impact on your blood sugar levels. And for people taking mealtime insulin, it's crucial to know the amount of carbohydrates in your food, so you get the proper insulin dose. Learn what portion size is appropriate for each type of food. Simplify your meal planning by writing down portions for the foods you eat often. Use measuring cups or a scale to ensure proper portion size and an accurate carbohydrate count. Make every meal well-balanced. As much as possible, plan for every meal to have a good mix of starches, fruits and vegetables, proteins and fats. It's especially important to pay attention to the types of carbohydrates you choose. Some carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are better for you than are others. These foods are low in carbohydrates and contain fiber that helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable. Talk to your doctor, nurse or dietitian about the best food choices and Continue reading >>
Lifestyle Changes After A Diagnosis Of Type 2 Diabetes.
Lifestyle Changes After a Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. Epidemiology, Healthy People and Places Unit, Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia; South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Epidemiology, Healthy People and Places Unit, Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Epidemiology, Healthy People and Places Unit, Population Health, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Diabetes Spectr. 2017 Feb;30(1):43-50. doi: 10.2337/ds15-0044. OBJECTIVE: Whether patients with type 2 diabetes change their lifestyle in response to their diagnosis and maintain behavior changes is unclear. This study aimed to 1) compare changes in lifestyle behaviors among participants who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and those never diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 2) investigate changes in lifestyle behaviors in relation to the duration of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We used self-reported information from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study and a follow-up study. Changes in body weight; amount of walking, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sitting; fruit and vegetable consumption; and smoking status and number of cigarettes smoked were used as measures of health behavior change. These variables were compared between participants in a "new ty Continue reading >>
