Many people are concerned about diabetes and are very interested in knowing the most important things to do to prevent diabetes. A federally funded study called the “Diabetes Prevention Program” (DPP) studied 3,234 people who were considered to have risks of developing diabetes. This study concluded that people can delay and very possibly even avoid diabetes by simply losing a little weight (as little as 5 to 7 percent of total body weight). ?The study suggested this can be accomplished by adopting healthier eating habits and by practicing as little as 30 minutes of physical activity for 5 days each week.

Some FAQs about preventing diabetes include:

1 . At what point in time should I be tested for diabetes? This is a question you should pose to your doctor or health care provider. Generally, if you are 45 or older you should consider being tested (especially if you are overweight). If you are not yet 45, but you are overweight plus you have at least one additional risk factor (see the next answer), you will probably want to be tested.

2 . What are some of the risk factors associated with developing diabetes?

- If you are overweight or obese

- If you have a parent or sibling with diabetes

- If you are of African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic American, or Latino heritage

- If you have a prior history of gestational diabetes

- If you have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

- If your HDL (good) cholesterol is 35 or lower

- If your triglyceride level is greater than 250

- If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90

- If you are physically active less than 3 times each week

3 . In what manner does my weight relate to my odds of developing diabetes? One of the primary risk factors for Type 2 diabetes is being overweight or obese. If you are overweight, your body struggles to make and utilize insulin correctly. In addition, being overweight and/or obese can cause you to develop high blood pressure. If you eat a reasonably healthy diet and are physically active for at least 30 minutes per day for 5 days each week, you can reduce your odds of developing diabetes.

4 . What is pre-diabetes? This is when your blood glucose levels are not yet in the diabetic range but are higher than normal. Depending on what test was used to diagnose your situation, this condition might be called impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG). If you are insulin-resistant or pre-diabetic, you probably will have no symptoms. You may not notice anything for several years if you have one (or even both) of these conditions.

If you are pre-diabetic, your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is elevated. Also, if you are pre-diabetic, there is a high probability that you will develop Type 2 diabetes within 10 years. You also have a higher risk of heart disease. HINT: Check with your doctor … you may be able to avoid diabetes by losing weight.

5 . Can vaccines cause diabetes? Based on several scientific studies reviewed in 2002 by the Institute of Medicine, the answer is “NO”. You can confirm this by searching online for the complete transcript posted by the Institute.

There are two types of diabetes, one is type I diabetes where the person fails to produce insulin and type II diabetes where the person is insulin resistant. Most people are type II diabetes affected. Whatever maybe the type of diabetes; there are enough medicines and treatments available today which allow a person to lead a normal life. But most people forget that apart from medicines and injections, there is a simple and chemically non-intrusive solution which can help in controlling diabetes in a far better way and that is exercise. In fact, exercise and diabetes should always go hand in hand.

In diabetes, body loses the ability to synthesize glucose. When glucose builds up in the body and becomes life threatening; while you cannot change your genetic disposition you can certainly take care of two things, diet and fitness. Managing diabetic health becomes really easy if you support your medicinal treatment with the right exercise.

Fitness and diabetes when combined together help to reduce diabetes related problems. Exercise increases glucose uptake by the cells and decreases production of glucose by the liver. Also, exercise burns up energy that is stored in the muscle cells. This makes cells hungry for more glucose. Thus, glucose moves from the blood into cells, preventing the conversion of glucose to fat. It also helps to improve the use of insulin by the body and burn excess body fat which helps to decrease and control weight. Muscle and bone strength and bone density also improves. It helps to lower blood pressure. It increases body’s bad LDL cholesterol count and increase its good HDL count. It also improves blood circulation thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. It also reduces stress, tension and anxiety and helps to relax. Thus diabetic control is possible by following a proper exercise program.

Personal training and diabetes coupled together has a profound effect on the health of diabetic people. The best form of exercise is outdoor exercises in fresh air where sweating occurs. If you have not been exercising then start with 15 minutes of exercise and gradually increase it to 30 minutes. A brisk walk can do wonders for your diabetes and health. Other aerobic exercises that can help in management of diabetes include jogging, aerobic dance or cycling. If you have problems with the nerves in your feet or legs, do an exercise that won’t put stress on your feet. These exercises include swimming, rowing or chair exercises.

People with diabetes should take the advice of the doctor about the right type of exercise for them. They should check their blood sugar level before and after exercising. Checking the feet for blisters and sores is also important since wounds in diabetic people take long time to heal. Ensure that you are wearing correct footwear and drinking plenty of fluids during exercise. Never forget to do the customary warm-up before the exercise. Keep a snack handy in case your blood sugar level drops too low.

Reduce the consumption of refined grains, instead eat fiber rich food. A good exercise and diet routine can help you not only control diabetes but also prevent its side effects like blindness, heart diseases, limb amputation etc.

Whether it’s type 1 or type 2 diabetes both showcase signs similar to that of high blood sugar. This is primarily due to less or no insulin present in the body. Diabetes symptoms advance in accordance with the range and duration of high blood sugar levels.

The symptoms usually start mildly with poorly healing skin rashes, and eventually progresses to severe stages, characterized by excessive carving for thirst and frequent urination. Finally it leads to life threatening ailments like HHNS or DKA. Let’s have a look at the common symptoms of high sugar level.

Diabetes Type 1:

In this type the pancreas stops manufacturing insulin due to auto-immune response or possibly viral attack on them. If insulin is absent, the body cells don’t get the required glucose for producing Adenosine Tri phosphate (ATP) units, which results into primary symptoms like nausea and vomiting. When it advances to later stages, it leads to ‘ketoacidosis’. The body starts breaking down the muscle tissue and fat for producing energy which results in tremendous weight loss. Dehydration is usually observed due to electrolyte disorder. In worst case scenario, death is anticipated.

Diabetes Type 2:

Fatigue: Due to incapability of the cell to metabolize glucose, preserved fat of the body is metabolized to produce energy. When fat is broken down, more energy is used in comparison to sugar, due to which we find ourselves into negative calorie region, which eventually leads to fatigue.

Weight loss: Factors like water loss, metabolism of body fat and protein may lead to weight loss.

Blurred vision: Hyperosmolar hyperglycemia nonketotic syndrome is the condition when body fluid is extracted from tissues including eye lenses, which affects the ability to focus, resulting into blurry vision.

Irritability: Irritability is another symptom of high blood sugar level, This condition occurs due to lack of sugar supply to the brain and other vital organs.

Unhealed wounds: This risk has been often reported in the patients suffering with high blood sugar levels. The wounds on their body like small cuts and rashes will make an outflow of blood in a large quantity, and it is sometimes hard to resist it. This prevents the growth of white blood cells which are accountable for body’s immunity.

The succession of symptoms is usually slower in Type 2 diabetics, whereas it is rapid for Type 1 diabetes. Those suffering from Type 2 diabetes are often undiagnosed long enough, which leads to further complications like kidney failure and foot complications.