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 >>
Understanding Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition in which sugar, or glucose, levels build up in your bloodstream. The hormone insulin helps move the sugar from your blood into your cells, which are where the sugar is used for energy. In type 2 diabetes, your body’s cells aren’t able to respond to insulin as well as they should. In later stages of the disease your body may also not produce enough insulin. Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels, causing several symptoms and potentially leading to serious complications. In type 2 diabetes your body isn’t able to effectively use insulin to bring glucose into your cells. This causes your body to rely on alternative energy sources in your tissues, muscles, and organs. This is a chain reaction that can cause a variety of symptoms. Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly. The symptoms may be mild and easy to dismiss at first. The early symptoms may include: constant hunger a lack of energy fatigue weight loss excessive thirst frequent urination dry mouth itchy skin blurry vision As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more severe and potentially dangerous. If your blood sugar levels have been high for a long time, the symptoms can include: yeast infections slow-healing cuts or sores dark patches on your skin foot pain feelings of numbness in your extremities, or neuropathy If you have two or more of these symptoms, you should see your doctor. Without treatment, diabetes can become life-threatening. Diabetes has a powerful effect on your heart. Women with diabetes are twice as likely to have another heart attack after the first one. They’re at quadruple the risk of heart failure when compared to women without diabetes. Diabetes can also lead to complications during pregnancy. Diet is an imp Continue reading >>
Patient Education: Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: Alcohol, Exercise, And Medical Care (beyond The Basics)
TYPE 2 DIABETES OVERVIEW Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition, but people with diabetes can lead a full life while keeping their diabetes under control. Lifestyle modifications (changes in day-to-day habits) are an essential component of any diabetes management plan. Lifestyle modifications can be a very effective way to keep diabetes in control. Improved blood sugar control can slow the progression of long-term complications. Multiple small changes can lead to improvements in diabetes control, including a decreased need for medication. Diabetes requires a lifelong management plan, and persons with diabetes have a central role in this plan. Lifestyle modifications are an opportunity for diabetics to take charge of their health. Therefore, it is important to learn as much as possible about diabetes and to take an active role in making decisions about health care and treatment. ALCOHOL AND TYPE 2 DIABETES Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol (up to one serving per day for women, up to two servings per day for men) with food does not affect blood sugar levels significantly. People who take oral diabetes medications do not usually need to adjust their medication, as long as the alcohol is consumed in moderation and with food. Alcohol may cause a slight rise in blood sugar, followed hours later by a decrease in the blood sugar level. Mixers, such as fruit juice or regular cola, can increase blood sugar levels and increase the number of calories consumed in a day. Also, calories from alcohol have little nutritional value and may interfere with efforts to lose weight or contribute to weight gain. EXERCISE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES Exercise is beneficial for all individuals, with or without diabetes. Even people with longstanding diabetes or diabetic complications can benefit fr 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 >>
5 Ways You Can Reverse Your Type 2 Diabetes
Lifestyle changes and in some cases, surgery, can be effective ways to put type 2 diabetes into remission. Learn more about what you can do to get off medication and get in control. Reversing your type 2 diabetes–or at least putting it into remission for years—is possible, according to George King, MD, research director and chief scientific officer at the Joslin Diabetes Center. “The strongest support comes from bariatric surgery,” says Dr. King, author of Reverse Your Diabetes in 12 Weeks. “Of people who undergo bariatric surgery and who have been on diabetes medications for years, fully 50 to 60% percent of these people can go off all medications in five years.” Without surgery, Dr. King says that it has long been known that at least five to 10% of people who go on a very changed diet, lose weight and increase their activity can get off all medications for type 2 diabetes and stay off them for ten to 20 years. “What that tells me is that it’s definitely possible to reverse type 2 diabetes; you just need to find the correct path,” says Dr. King The only caveat, he says, is how long you’ve had the disease. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas cannot properly produce insulin to regulate levels of glucose in your body. Over time, this can cause the beta cells in the pancreas to burn out, making it more difficult to compensate for the body’s inability to use insulin effectively. “But most people with type 2 diabetes have enough residual beta cells that if they take the pressure off their beta cells with diet and exercise, their health will improve,” says Dr. King. Getting Started Experts suggest a number of steps to help reverse type 2 diabetes including: Changing Up Your Diet With the goal of scoring a hemoglobin A1C below 6.5, Dr. King Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes In Adults: Management
There is a lot you can do to keep your diabetes under control and reduce your risk of other complications developing. If you have type 2 diabetes, having a healthy diet and lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do to manage your diabetes and minimise your risk of developing complications. A healthy lifestyle involves being active, losing weight if you are overweight, getting enough exercise, having a healthy diet, not smoking and controlling your alcohol intake if you drink alcohol. Your doctor or nurse should give you more information about a healthy lifestyle and what you can do to help keep type 2 diabetes under control (for example, having a healthy diet, taking more exercise and losing weight). Having a healthy diet is an important part of living with type 2 diabetes. Eating healthily and losing weight if you are overweight will help you to manage your diabetes better. An expert such as a dietitian should give you advice about your diet. This should be designed to suit your lifestyle, culture, beliefs and preferences. If you are overweight, you will be encouraged to lose weight and agree on a target weight loss. Your starting weight‑loss target should be to lose 5% to 10% of your weight. Any weight loss will help, although the nearer you get to a healthy body weight, the better it will be for your long‑term health. Advice about your diet should also cover the best times to eat, how much carbohydrate per meal you should eat and, if you drink alcohol, how much alcohol to drink. General healthy eating is also important, and you should: There's no need to buy food sold specifically for people with diabetes because this tends to be expensive and is not necessarily any better for you. You can still enjoy some foods containing sugar as long as they for 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 >>
Type 2 Diabetes Causes
Type 2 diabetes has several causes: genetics and lifestyle are the most important ones. A combination of these factors can cause insulin resistance, when your body doesn’t use insulin as well as it should. Insulin resistance is the most common cause of type 2 diabetes. Genetics Play a Role in Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes can be hereditary. That doesn’t mean that if your mother or father has (or had) type 2 diabetes, you’re guaranteed to develop it; instead, it means that you have a greater chance of developing type 2. Researchers know that you can inherit a risk for type 2 diabetes, but it’s difficult to pinpoint which genes carry the risk. The medical community is hard at work trying to figure out the certain genetic mutations that lead to a risk of type 2. Lifestyle Is Very Important, Too Genes do play a role in type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle choices are also important. You can, for example, have a genetic mutation that may make you susceptible to type 2, but if you take good care of your body, you may not develop diabetes. Say that two people have the same genetic mutation. One of them eats well, watches their cholesterol, and stays physically fit, and the other is overweight (BMI greater than 25) and inactive. The person who is overweight and inactive is much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes because certain lifestyle choices greatly influence how well your body uses insulin. Lack of exercise: Physical activity has many benefits—one of them being that it can help you avoid type 2 diabetes, if you’re susceptible. Unhealthy meal planning choices: A meal plan filled with high-fat foods and lacking in fiber (which you can get from grains, vegetables, and fruits) increases the likelihood of type 2. Overweight/Obesity: Lack of exercise and unhealthy me 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 >>
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 >>
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 >>
10 Simple Lifestyle Changes To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
It accounts for 22,000 British deaths a year and is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack and stroke. Type 2 diabetes affects 3.5 million people in the UK and costs the NHS £8.8billion a year but, according to one leading doctor, the disease is far more preventable than most think. Sir Muir Gray, an honorary professor at Oxford University, says Type 2 diabetes is not even a “real disease” at all – and that a few practical lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce our risk of contracting it. “Type 2 diabetes or walking deficiency syndrome?” he asks. “I’m trying to get the name changed. The problem with calling it Type 2 diabetes makes you think it’s like rheumatoid arthritis or a real disease. These are conditions caused by the modern environment.” While some object to Sir Muir’s diagnosis that it is not a “real disease”, doctors agree that we could all be doing more to combat Type 2 diabetes. “It is a very serious and debilitating health condition for patients and can lead to other serious conditions,” says Dr Stephen Lawrence, clinical lead for diabetes for the Royal College of GPs. “Simple lifestyle changes, including being more active and taking steps to lose weight, can have real benefits… But we need to be encouraging patients to do this, not blaming them for having the condition.” So how can you reduce your risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes? A few basic lifestyle changes can work wonders… Park and stride Walk whenever possible: even simple things such as getting off the bus a stop earlier or parking a little further from the shops can make a big difference over time. Once you get into the habit, try to walk as fast as you can at least some of the time. “Picking up the pace even briefly can help with blood suga Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes
Print Diagnosis To diagnose type 2 diabetes, you'll be given a: Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests indicates you have diabetes. A result between 5.7 and 6.4 percent is considered prediabetes, which indicates a high risk of developing diabetes. Normal levels are below 5.7 percent. If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain conditions — such as if you're pregnant or have an uncommon form of hemoglobin (known as a hemoglobin variant) — that can make the A1C test inaccurate, your doctor may use the following tests to diagnose diabetes: Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time. Blood sugar values are expressed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher suggests diabetes, especially when coupled with any of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination and extreme thirst. Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes. Oral glucose tolerance test. For this test, you fast overnight, and the fasting blood sugar level is measured. Then you drink a sugary liquid, and blood s Continue reading >>
Reversing Type 2 Diabetes With Lifestyle Change
Type 2 diabetes is associated with a range of serious complications, and accounts for significant costs to the NHS. Dietary and lifestyle change can reduce its impact. 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 >>
