If you are overweight, the keys to preventing type 2 diabetes are to lose weight by choosing foods and drinks that are lower in calories, and to be more active. Set a weight-loss goal that you can reach. Try to lose at least 5 to 10 percent of your current weight within 6 months.
The strongest evidence we have at the moment suggests that type 2 diabetes is mainly put into remission by weight loss. Remission is more likely if you lose weight as soon as possible after your diabetes diagnosis. However, we do know of people who have put their diabetes into remission 25 years after diagnosis.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
If you have prediabetes, losing a small amount of weight if you're overweight and getting regular physical activity can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A small amount of weight loss means around 5% to 7% of your body weight, just 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
You can reverse prediabetes by changing your diet, exercising, and losing weight (if your weight is higher than what is considered healthy for your height). The medication metformin can also help — but it doesn't work as well as lifestyle changes.
Without intervention, many people with prediabetes could develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years, which puts them at risk of serious health problems, including: Heart attack.
When your blood sugar is normal with no treatment, then the diabetes is considered to have gone away. However, even when the blood sugars are controlled, because type 2 diabetes is a genetic condition, the predisposition for diabetes always exists. High blood sugars can come back.
Drinking plenty of water helps your kidneys flush out excess sugar. One study found that people who drink more water lower their risk for developing high blood sugar levels. And remember, water is the best. Sugary drinks elevate blood sugar by raising it even more.
Early detection and treatment can reverse the condition and prevent type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, in which the body doesn't use insulin properly, is on the rise in the United States. There are more than 35 million people with the condition, and many are diagnosed when they are young, even in adolescence.
Losing weight and reversing prediabetes can take anywhere from a few weeks, to a few months, to a few years, but the window of time to reverse prediabetes after a diagnosis is between 2-6 years – so you have time!
Stress doesn't cause diabetes but it can affect your blood sugar levels and how you look after your condition. Having diabetes to manage on top of life's normal ups and downs can itself be a cause of stress.
Diabetes symptoms
Thirsty - being really thirsty. Tired - feeling more tired than usual. Thinner - losing weight without trying to. Genital itching or thrush.
Blurry vision. Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal. Weight loss—even though you are eating more (type 1) Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)
Transparent and lacking in color
Transparent, colorless urine could also be a sign of some other health disorders, including diabetes and kidney disease, or from taking diuretic medication.
Because processed and sugary foods are unhealthy carbs, limit them in your diabetes diet, says Massey. That includes soda, candy, and other packaged or processed snacks, such as corn chips, potato chips, and the like.
Diabetic dermopathy
This condition is also known as shin spots, and it's harmless. The spots look like red or brown round patches or lines in the skin and are common in people with diabetes. They appear on the front of your legs (your shins) and are often confused with age spots. The spots don't hurt, itch, or open up.
feeling or being sick. abdominal (tummy) pain. rapid, deep breathing. signs of dehydration, such as a headache, dry skin and a weak, rapid heartbeat.
In general: Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L ) is normal. 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L ) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L ) or higher on two separate tests is diagnosed as diabetes.