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.

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