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Diabetes - Environmental and Lifestyle Risk Factors for Diabetes
By Julia Hanf | July 29, 2008
Why any particular person gets diabetes isn’t completely known. Complicating the situation is the fact that there are different types of the disease, though Type 1 and Type 2 are the most common. Of those, Type 2 accounts for about 90% of cases.
Luckily, some risk factors for diabetes are well-documented and many can be controlled or eliminated. Lifestyle choices play a major part in preventing the disease and people who already have diabetes can control it through lifestyle changes.
Obesity is widely recognized as one of the leading risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes. While there is a genetic influence - some shed or gain weight and body fat more easily than others - it is subject to influence by choices. A high BMI (Body Mass Index) is an adjustable number with the proper diet and exercise. A BMI of higher than 27 correlates with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. The number should not be taken as a sole determinant, however, since its diagnostic value is less for those who are very muscular or are pregnant. But a high BMI is an indicator of obesity and should be checked.
Beyond simply being overweight, where the majority of excess body fat resides plays a role in the odds of contracting Type 2 diabetes. Those who tend to store body fat around the waist are at higher risk. While that in itself is largely a genetic issue - some individuals are naturally pear-shaped, others are not - the results can be influenced by diet and exercise.
Claims of supplements that target fat at the waistline are yet to be proven. Similarly, assertions that it’s possible to selectively remove waistline body fat through specific exercises are ill-founded. But an overall weight-reducing diet and general exercise program will help reduce large fat deposits, including those of the waistline. More generally, a sedentary lifestyle increases the odds of contracting Type 2 diabetes. Partly that’s the result of adopting a mindset that brings with it a number of less than ideal choices. But in particular, the lack of exercise is a direct cause of higher body fat percentage as well as a number of follow on effects.
In multiple ways, exercise plays a significant role in the control of diabetes. High blood pressure is a risk factor for diabetes, but exercise lowers blood pressure. Glucose levels are a key factor in contracting diabetes and regular exercise helps keep them under control. In addition, regular exercise helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol; a high level of bad cholesterol is another risk factor for diabetes.
Of course, exercise is not really “magic,” it is a choice and so is diet. These healthy lifestyle choices can give you power over diabetes. Even if you are at high risk for diabetes or already have the condition, you have some ways to control it.
Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free.
Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution
for diabetes.
Topics: Diabetes |
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