5 Ways to Prevent Getting Diabetes

Do you know that over 100 million adults in the US are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes? That's nearly one-third of the population.

Diabetes is also the 7th leading cause of death in the US. Clearly, diabetes is a serious disease that's becoming a growing health problem for many adults.

Luckily, diabetes is a largely preventable disease, and if you make the right lifestyle changes, you can turn your health around.

Check out this guide to learn the top tips for stopping diabetes in its tracks.

1. Get Moving

get moving

Physical activity is one of the best ways to prevent diabetes.

This is because exercise helps to increase the insulin sensitivity of your cells. Therefore, when you exercise, less insulin is required to control your blood sugar levels.

In fact, one study found that moderate-intensity exercise helped to increase insulin activity by 51 percent, and high-intensity exercise helped to increase it by 85 percent.

There are all different kinds of exercises you can do to help reduce your insulin resistance levels, such as running, swimming, strength training, and high-intensity interval training.

In general, it's recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.

2. Clean Up Your Diet

Healthy diet to prevent diabetes

Cleaning up your diet can seriously help to decrease the risk of you developing diabetes. Here's what you need to do to clean up your diet:

  • Cut out refined carbs and sugars: Eating these foods can lead to increasingly high levels of blood sugar and insulin, which can then lead to diabetes
  • Eat more fiber: Fiber helps to control your blood sugar, lower your risk of heart disease, and it keeps you feeling full
  • Limit red and processed meats: Evidence strongly suggests that there's a link between red and processed meats and diabetes
  • Choose healthy fats such as oils, avocados, nuts, and seeds

You should also always opt for water as your primary beverage. Drinking water will help prevent you from reaching for sugary drinks. Consuming just two sugary drinks per day increases your risk of diabetes by 20 percent, so you should avoid them as much as possible.

3. Avoid Smoking and Alcohol

To prevent diabetes, you should also avoid smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol as much as possible.

An analysis of several different studies found that smoking increases the risk of diabetes in average smokers by 41 percent and in heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) by 61 percent.

Second-hand smoke has also been linked to diabetes, so you should avoid this as well.

Also, if you drink alcohol, try to keep it in the moderate range, as drinking heavy amounts of alcohol can increase your risk for diabetes.

Mediband Diabetes Bracelet

Stopping Diabetes: Are You Ready to Stop Diabetes in Its Tracks?

As you can see, a few simple lifestyle changes can make all the difference when it comes to stopping diabetes.

If you have any questions about preventing diabetes, let us know in the comments below.

And, if you already have diabetes and you need to make others aware of your condition, be sure to check out our selection of medical alert bracelets.