Lowering your risk for Diabetes through Lifestyle Changes

Scientists studying diabetes do not yet completing understand all the factors governing the disease. What makes one person get diabetes, while another person does not? This puzzling question is complicated by the fact that diabetes appears in several forms. Most people (90%) with diabetes have Type 2; Type 1 diabetes is the second most common form.

Luckily, some risk factors for diabetes are well-documented and many can be controlled or eliminated. Lifestyle choices play a major part in preventing the disease and people who already have diabetes can control it through lifestyle changes.

Obesity is a significant risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. Although some individuals are more genetically prone to obesity than others, lifestyle choices play a significant role in most obesity. With proper diet and exercise, BMI (Body Mass Index) can be lowered.

Body Mass Index should be below 27, since a BMI of 27 or above is positively correlated with a significant increased risk of developing diabetes. People who are extremely muscular and pregnant women may have a BMI this high without being obese. BMI cannot be the sole determinant of obesity, but generally a high BMI does indicate a need for weight loss and people with a high BMI should have appropriate medical evaluation.

For reasons not clearly understood, where body fat is carried plays a greater role in the development of diabetes than merely being obese. People who store fat more around the middle of their body are at greater risk for diabetes than those whose weight is more evenly distributed. Fat storage is determined primarily by genetics, but diet and exercise can also control it.

Exercise certainly burns calories. But even the resting state burns about 70 calories per hour just to power metabolic processes. But regular movement helps stimulate the lymph system, strengthen and loosen muscles, oxygenate tissues and brings with it many other positive benefits. Exercise helps control blood pressure, a factor in contracting diabetes. It helps regulate glucose levels, which have a major role in the disease since excess glucose in the blood is a defining attribute of diabetes. It alters cholesterol levels, another risk factor for contracting the condition.

Exercise and diet are powerful. They can give you significant control over your risk of developing diabetes even if you have several unchangeable risk factors.

About the Author

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win
Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free.
Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution
for diabetes.