Easy add-ins that prevent diabetes

By the time we’re 45, CDC researchers say up to 41% of us have prediabetes—which is marked by elevated blood-sugar levels— and 90% of us don’t even know it! The good news: You can sidestep the risk by adding in these study-backed lifestyle tweaks that steady blood sugar, reverse prediabetes and prevent Type 2 diabetes! Add this to your tub

Blissful baths steady blood sugar for up to eight hours, suggests research in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Explains study co-author Steven Bailey, PH.D., when your skin temperature rises, your blood vessels release nitric oxide, which heightens insulin sensitivity. Add in Epsom salts, rich in easily absorbed magnesium, and University of North Carolina researchers say you’ll cut prediabetes risk by 50%, plus reverse the condition if you have it now.

Add clove oil to your toothpaste

You can cut your risk of diabetes by 57% just by keeping your gums in great shape, Spanish researchers say. The bacteria that cause gum disease also hamper your pancreas’ ability to keep blood sugar steady. Simply add a drop of clove essential oil to your toothpaste to destroy troublesome gum bacteria— even the drug-resistant kind—in a week!

Add pep to your step

Just 30 minutes of daily movement reduces your risk of diabetes by 40%. Sneak a few 60-second bursts of speed into that daily stroll, and Canadian researchers say you’ll switch on the genes that help your muscles burn excess blood glucose for fuel, upping blood-sugar control by as much as 58% for 24 hours.

Add protein to your breakfast every day

Enjoying 4 oz. of am protein heightens blood-sugar control better than prescription diabetes medications, say British researchers, because protein energizes the insulin-regulating pancreas. To get the benefits, go for 1 cup of Greek yogurt or 3 eggs. — Brenda Kearns