Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is an ever-growing health concern in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is linked to higher health care costs and risk of death related to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other diabetes-related complications. In North Dakota, 70,000 people or 11 percent of the population has type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that 35 percent of North Dakotans have prediabetes and may not even know it.

In the recent years, the American Diabetes Association has pushed to provide awareness through events like Diabetes Alert Day, which was held on March 26 of this year. Awareness of the disease has led to more insurance coverage for prediabetes and the increase in recognized CDC Diabetes Prevention Programs. There are many risk factors for type two diabetes including family history, race, age, weight, gestational diabetes and lifestyle factors. Although you can’t change your genetics, ethnicity, or age, you do have the power to change your lifestyle, which has been proven to play a big role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

A study published in Diabetes Care in 2017 compared the difference between using medications and lifestyle factors to treat prediabetes. The outcome of the study showed that lifestyle factors were more effective than medications in lowering elevated blood sugars and preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.

If you know that you are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, here are some things that you can do to prevent it.

Exercise is the most important lifestyle factor to prevent diabetes. Exercise improves insulin resistance making your body better able to use the insulin it has. Physical activity itself lowers blood sugar, even when sufficient insulin in not available. Exercise does not have to mean going to the gym or running a marathon. It can include daily activities such as walking, gardening or shoveling snow. The goal for exercise is to get your heart rate up and sweat a little for about 30 minutes per day.

In addition to exercise, diet can play a role in preventing type 2 diabetes. Cutting back on sugar consumption can make a big difference. Choose to drink water instead of soda, juice or other sweetened beverages. Eat a balanced diet including proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. You don’t have to measure your portions, but do make sure you are not overeating on a regular basis.

If you would like more information on how to prevent type 2 diabetes, feel free to contact Brooke Fredrickson, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at CHI St. Alexius Health in Carrington. She can be reached at (701) 652-7224 or [email protected].