Diabetes has reached numbers of epidemic proportions in North America, as poor nutrition and low exercise levels continue to take their toll on the population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just released startling new statistics — nearly 21 Americans have diabetes, most often Type-2. This type of diabetes is linked to obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet.
This figure represents seven percent of the entire country, which is afflicted with what is often a preventable illness. There are some other figures that also need to be expressed. Of those 21 million people, six million don’t even know that they are diabetics. And even more Americans have a condition called pre-diabetes, with the number sitting at a staggering 41 million people.
Pre-diabetes is very risky, as it increases the chance you will get diabetes as well as heart disease and stroke. What’s more is that diabetes can cause blindness, kidney disease, nerve damage, circulatory problems, and even the need to amputate the lower limbs.
The diabetes risk rises as a person gets older. In fact, roughly 20% of Americans over 60 have it. Now, that is the bad news. There is, though, some good news to put this predicament in perspective. Putting on pounds causes diabetes. However, studies have shown that people at a high risk of diabetes can protect themselves by losing about five percent of their body weight.
Here is how you can prevent diabetes from setting in. It is completely dependent on what you eat. After a meal, a lot of things are happening in your bloodstream. It’s a chemical playground that has to work exactly how it was meant to work in order for new sugar to enter into your cells so that it can be used for energy. Insulin, released by your pancreas, is a key player in this process, as it opens the cells.
You must avoid processed foods, empty carbohydrates, and refined grains. Foods made with refined grains have lost much of their nutritional value. This includes all baked goods, flour, and bread not made with a whole grain. When you eat a refined grain product, it shoots quickly through your stomach, digestive tract, and intestines.
Refined grains cause a sharp rise in blood sugar levels (thus exhausting the pancreas over time), followed by a quick drop. When the levels are this unstable, then diabetes is sure to occur. Eat vegetables, fruit, and whole grains that are high in fiber. These are digested slowly and thus your blood sugar levels are handled efficiently.
The other key to diabetes prevention involves staying active. No matter how healthy your diet is, it’s possible to gain weight if you don’t exercise regularly. This doesn’t mean that you have to get an expensive gym membership — just a half-hour walk each day will do the trick. In fact, 30 minutes of physical activity a day can help shed a good percentage of your body weight.
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Tags: exercise, obesity
