Lifestyle changes best option for diabetics

In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” Dumbledore says, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” You don’t have to be a wizard to see how true that is when it comes to managing diabetes.

Each health-bestowing choice you make — about food, activity, sleep and weight — may challenge you, but they’re what set you apart from the crowd and give you a shot at a long and happy life.

That became crystal clear recently when a study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that taking statins when you have diabetes may reduce your heightened risk of heart disease, but it makes diabetes worse. Turns out statins boost glucose levels, cause acute glycemic complications and make it more likely that you’ll have to increase the number of glucose-lowering meds you take.

Clearly, making lifestyle changes to put diabetes in remission (no red or processed meats or ultraprocessed foods, no added sugars/syrups; adopting a plantbased diet; getting 60 minutes of physical activity most days) is the smart move — since for most folks those moves will lower heart-damaging LDL cholesterol, too.

The Monday Campaigns (mondaycampaigns.org) Meatless Monday Culinary Ambassadors can help. For example, chef and doctor Robert Graham suggests you make cruciferous veggies like cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli a tasty main course by tossing with olive oil, pepper, garlic and a squeeze of lemon before oven-roasting. And for more amazing veggie entrees and side dishes, check out Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook.”

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer Emeritus at Cleveland Clinic.