• Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol. Medication may be needed, too. • If you smoke or use other types of tobacco, ask your doctor to help you quit. Smoking increases your risk of various diabetes complications, including heart attack, stroke, nerve damage and kidney disease. In fact, smokers who have diabetes are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than are nonsmokers who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop smoking or to stop using other types of tobacco. • If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly. Alcohol, as well as drink mixers, can cause either high or low blood sugar, depending on how much you drink and if you eat at the same time. If you choose to drink, do so only in moderation and always with a meal. The recommendation for women is no more than one drink daily, and for men, no more than two drinks daily. • Take stress seriously. If you're stressed, it's easy to abandon your usual diabetes management routine. The hormones your body may produce in response to prolonged stress may prevent insulin from working properly, which only makes matters worse. To take control, set limits. Prioritize your tasks. Learn relaxation techniques. Get plenty of sleep.
____________________________ Above all, stay positive. Diabetes can be prevented by making healthy choices. KEY to prevention or management of diabetes is to: 1. Engage in a physically active lifestyle 2. Make healthy food choices 3. Maintain a healthy weight If you're willing to do your part, you can enjoy an active, healthy life with Type 2 Diabetes. ____________________________
TYPE 2 DIABETES
Internet Resources: American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/ National Diabetes Information http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/ Center for Disease Control CDC and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Diabet esPrevention/ Living with Type 2 Diabetes Program https://donations.diabetes.org/site/ SPageServer/?pagename=LWT2D _English&gclid=CILvgvCvldMCFUp NfgodMywIyQ Health Coaching http://hr.smcgov.org/health- coaching
POWER TO PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT
• Lose excess pounds. If you're overweight, losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can reduce the risk of diabetes. To keep your weight in a healthy range, focus on permanent changes to your eating and exercise habits. Motivate yourself by remembering the benefits of losing weight, such as a healthier heart, more energy, and improved self-esteem.
Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes is a serious disease but can be prevented by making healthy choices. Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body's main source of fuel. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body is resistant to the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or your body doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. Untreated, the consequences of type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening. There's no cure for type 2 diabetes, but you can manage — or even prevent — the condition. Start by eating healthy foods, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. If diet and exercise aren't enough, you may need diabetes medications or insulin therapy to manage your blood sugar. Prevention starts by engaging in a more physically active lifestyle. In the 2002 findings of the Diabetes Prevention Program study, scientists found that people can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing some weight (5–7 percent of their weight), making healthy food choices (consuming less fat and fewer calories), and participating in physical activity (such as, 30 minutes of brisk walking, 5 days a week).
Management of type 2 diabetes Prevent type 2 diabetes by making
healthy choices. Even if diabetes runs in your family, diet and exercise can help you prevent the disease. And if you've already been diagnosed with diabetes, the same healthy lifestyle choices can help you prevent potentially serious complications. • Eat healthy foods. Choose foods low in fat and calories. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For every 1,000 calories you consume, try to have at least 3 teaspoons of fiber, because fiber helps control blood sugar levels. • Get more physical activity. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. Take a brisk daily walk. Ride your bike. Swim laps. If you can't fit in a long workout, break it up into smaller sessions spread throughout the day.
can reduce your risk of serious — even life-threatening — complications. Consider these tips. Sometimes medication is an option as well. Metformin (Glucophage), an oral diabetes medication, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes — but healthy lifestyle choices remain essential. • Make a commitment to managing your diabetes. Learn all you can about type 2 diabetes. Make healthy eating and physical activity part of your daily routine. Establish a relationship with a diabetes educator, and ask your diabetes treatment team for help when you need it. • Schedule a yearly physical exam and regular eye exams. Your regular diabetes checkups aren't meant to replace yearly physicals or routine eye exams. During the physical, your doctor will look for any diabetes-related complications, as well as screen for other medical problems. Your eye care specialist will check for signs of retinal damage, cataracts and glaucoma.