Many people live with diabetes. The CDC estimates that over 415 million people have diabetes, expecting to rise to 50 billion people by 2040. This disease brings various complications to the body, like eye damage, skin conditions, hearing impairment, kidney disease, and more. Although it is usually irreversible with lasting health effects, you can prevent it with the proper support and strategies.
Lifestyle changes might prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in people with prediabetes—high blood sugar levels that do not reach the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis. You can reduce your risk of severe health complications, such as damage to your nerves, kidneys, and heart, by making a few lifestyle changes now. Therefore, this post will give you great insights into how you can take charge of diabetes prevention. So, let’s dive in.
Diabetes Prevention Using CBD
Despite a lack of conclusive research, CBD-based treatments have shown promise in treating diabetes and epilepsy, among other conditions. The cannabis plant contains the chemical cannabidiol or CBD. Other than CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the compound that produces the “high.” CBD has no psychoactive properties.
Current research is examining whether CBD can reduce or prevent the development of diabetes. And there are promising results relating to inflammation and pain when you take CBD products from Sunday Scaries.
Inflammation
Researchers have conducted several studies on CBD as an anti-inflammatory treatment. Researchers found CBD had positive effects on several markers of inflammation in a study specifically focused on inflammation caused by high sugar levels. According to this study, CBD can help reverse blood vessel wall damage.
Pain
CBD showed promise in reducing osteoarthritis pain and inflammation in a study of rats published in the Journal Pain in 2017. Another published study showed CBD might suppress chronic neuropathic pain and inflammation in mice. However, there’s a need for further research to determine precisely how CBD affects HDL cholesterol and blood glucose.
Exercising and Moving About
Inactivity contributes to type 2 diabetes. The more you work your muscles, the better your body can use insulin and absorb glucose. It reduces the pressure on your insulin-producing cells. So make sure you spend some time moving about or exercising instead of sitting down.
Getting these benefits doesn’t require long periods of sweaty, hot exercise. According to a Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a half-hour of walking can lessen your odds of having type 2 diabetes by 30% daily. You can also derive other benefits from this amount of exercise. The more you train intensely and prolong it; your cardiovascular health benefits will be more significant.
Losing Extra Weight
You can reduce your risk of diabetes when you lose weight. An analysis of an extensive study found that people who lost 7% of their body weight and changed their diet and exercise reduced their diabetes risk by almost 60%.
Those with prediabetes should lose 7% to 10% of their weight to prevent diabetes progression. More weight loss will translate into even more significant benefits. Achieve your weight-loss goal by monitoring your weight. It would be best if you discussed realistic short-term goals with your doctor, such as a weekly 1 to 2-pound weight loss.
Identify Your Risk Factors
There are one in three people with prediabetes, a condition in which their blood sugar level is higher than usual but not relatively high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, before you analyze this, you might reverse it by determining your risk factors and working to prevent them.
Changing your lifestyle is the key to controlling blood sugar levels and avoiding diabetes. By modifying diet and exercising regularly, a patient can delay the onset of diabetes and even reverse prediabetes. Based on diabetes you have, there are various risk factors you might have, including:
Type 1 Diabetes
An attack by the body against itself causes type 1 diabetes. Factors that increase risk include:
- History of diabetes in the family: A parent, sibling, or spouse with type 1 diabetes.
- Age: Type 1 diabetes may develop at any age but often occurs in children, teens, and young adults.
Type 2 Diabetes
You’re at high risk of type 2 diabetes if you are:
- Pre-diabetic
- Overweight
- 45 years or older
- A family member has diabetes
- Not physically active over three times per week
- Have had gestational diabetes–diabetes during pregnancy
- If you suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Prediabetes
You’re at risk of prediabetes if you are:
- Overweight
- 45 years or older
- A family member has diabetes
- Not physically active over three times per week
- Have had gestational diabetes–diabetes during pregnancy
Knowing your risk factors can help you prevent these types of diabetes. If you’re overweight, you can lose weight, eat healthier, and stay physically active to prevent or reverse it.
Consume Plenty of Fiber
Even when dressed up, it’s hard to pack away 50 grams of daily fiber. Having diabetes requires high-quality food and large portions. And fiber is the next best thing.
Because of its indigestibility, fiber does not raise blood sugar. In addition, it can dampen the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar. A fiber-rich diet takes longer to digest, slowing glucose absorption into the bloodstream.
In a 2000 study, 13 diabetic patients who consumed 50 grams of fiber per day had their glucose levels lowered by 10%, and their insulin levels reduced by 12% more than those who consumed 24 grams per day.
Fiber-rich sources include:
- Whole-grain foods, like whole-wheat bread
- Dried beans, like kidney, black, and garbanzos, lentils
- Oats, found in oatmeal
- Unpeeled Apples and pears
Adding fiber-rich foods to recipes is also an option – for instance, you can add beans to a salad. Make sure, however, that you are adding the right amount of carbohydrates. For example, half a cup of beans has the same carbohydrates as the third cup of pasta.
Take steps to ensure that you are eating enough fiber, like choosing a whole-grain item for breakfast, besides fruit and a serving of dairy.
Conclusion
Every year, more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes. Living with this disease can bring various health challenges to you. Fortunately, this post provides impressive tips you can implement today for diabetes prevention.
