Do you have diabetes or have a strong family history? Does developing diabetes scare you? It should! According to researchers, diabetes appears to double the risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke or other heart issue. This is important to note because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world and one in ten people have diabetes.
When was the last time you had your sugar numbers tested? Labs vary, however it is important you keep your fasting blood sugar under 99mg/dL unless you are going for an optimal number, then get it under 90mg/dL. If your healthcare provider monitors your hemoglobin A1c, make sure yours is under 5.5 percent. Make sure you look at your cholesterol levels as well as they are often elevated in diabetics.
Pre-diabetes occurs when your fasting numbers fall between 100mg/dL and 125mg/dL. Numbers over 126mg/dL fasting is diagnostic for diabetes and as the research shows, doubles your chance of dying from a heart attack. Pre-diabetes isn’t an area you want to be in so please work really hard to reduce your numbers back into a normal, healthy range.
Looking for prevention? Then you have to take control of your diet and exercise plan. Cut out all sugar including juice and fancy coffee drinks. Eliminate fake sugars such as aspartame and Splenda while reducing your carbohydrate intake. Stick to lean meats and vegetables with low sugar fruits such as berries, apples and pears. Incorporate more weight lifting exercises into your routine as resistance training utilizes blood sugar much more effectively than regular aerobic exercise. Start adding some interval training in your routine such as 30 second bursts of high intense all out movement then slow down for a minute or two before doing it again. Make sure you are getting at least eight glasses of water every day and skip out on the alcohol as it’s full of sugar.
If you have a strong family history of blood sugar problems then you need to be pro-active at an early age. I would even suggest as young as infancy when introducing children to healthy options instead of fast food, juice, high sugar snacks, and dessert. Teach college kids how to take care of themselves and understand the importance of health so that when they graduate and move further into adulthood they can avoid the risks of diabetes.