Tips to avoid type 2 diabetes

Are our unhealthy lifestyles making us more prone to developing type 2 diabetes? The answer seems to be an unequivocal yes. A staggering 44% of the global diabetes burden can be attributed to obesity.

According to the national department of health, more than half of South African women are overweight or obese, with the statistic for black women being as high as 60%.

Obesity and its co-morbidities, including diabetes, negatively affect the lives of many South Africans, as well as place an enormous burden on the cost of healthcare.

The bottom line is that obesity is preventable.

World Diabetes Day is on Tuesday and the theme is “women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future”. There are more than 199 million women living with diabetes. This total is expected to increase to 313 million by 2040.

Some of the risk factors for developing diabetes includes:

Being aged 35 or over.

Being overweight (especially if you carry most of your weight around your middle).

Being a member of a high-risk group (in South Africa, if you are of Indian descent you are at particular risk).

Having a family history of diabetes.

Having given birth to a baby that weighed more than 4kg at birth, or have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Having high cholesterol or other fats in the blood.

Having high blood pressure or heart disease.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Symptoms of diabetes includes unusual thirst, frequent urination, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue or lack of energy, blurred vision, frequent or recurring infections and slow healing cuts and bruises, and tingling in the hands and feet. Many people with type 2 diabetes show no symptoms!

The good news is that up to 70% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

Keeping a healthy weight is important. The diabetes prevention programme, an initiative of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, found weight loss and increased physical activity reduced the chance of prediabetes turning into type 2 diabetes by 58%.

For people 60 years or older, the reduction was 71%.

Dr Albert Niemann, a physician with a special interest in obesity, says managing insulin resistance should involve limiting carbohydrates, avoiding sweetened beverages, eating more fibre, limiting portions, including enough protein and including fat free dairy products. Regular and sustained exercise is also vital.