The Effects of Weight Loss on Diabetes Prevention
A few months ago (March 2005), the American Diabetes Association announced the findings of the comprehensive Diabetes Prevention Program. The DPP was conducted at over 25 medical centers nationwide and involved thousands of participants who volunteered to have their habits monitored and to follow dietary and exercise recommendations. All participants had been diagnosed with ‘pre-diabetes’, a condition where the blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet in diabetic ranges. Untreated, more than half of those people diagnosed with pre-diabetes will develop full-blown type 2 diabetes within a decade.
For the study, the participants were divided into two groups. One half were given dietary recommendations. The other half got the same dietary recommendations, plus the recommendation to exercise at least 30 minutes daily, five times a week.
The results? Those who included daily exercise in their routines and followed the diet recommendations cut their risk of developing diabetes by 58%. The reason? Those who made the recommended changes in their lifestyle lost ‘a moderate amount’ of weight. Even more important, researchers found something that they didn’t expect. Those in the treatment group had a substantial chance of reducing their blood sugar level to normal, something that had been assumed was impossible.
Apparently, losing weight not only prevents a worsening of diabetes, it reverses the damage that obesity causes to the cells that produce insulin.
How much weight loss does it take to have an effect on the progression of diabetes? The key is in the definition of ‘a moderate weight loss’ – 5-7% of your body weight. In other words, depending on your boy weight, a loss of as little as 7-10 pounds can make a difference!
The recommendations suggested by the American Diabetes Society for a healthy diet to prevent diabetes is an ideal diet for steady, gradual weight loss – the kind of weight loss that stays lost. The diet includes the following suggested daily diet allowances:
* Grain – 6-11 servings per day (Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta)
* Vegetables – 3-5 servings per day
* Fruits – 2-4 servings per day
* Milk – 2-3 servings per day
* Meat – 4-6 ounces per day (Meat, eggs, fish, dried beans, nuts and peanut butter)
* Fats, Sweets, Alcohol – Occasional treats
(Recommendations for portions are based on gender and activity level. For instance, a sedentary 40 year old woman needs fewer portions than an active 25-year-old woman.)
Look familiar? It’s also the dietary recommendation for the Heart Healthy diet from the American Heart Association, and the recommendations from the USDA’s new MyPyramid. The results just keep coming in, but the message is clear: losing weight, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet can help prevent most major health problems. Why wait till you’re diagnosed? Start today – and it may never happen.
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DIABETES PREVENTION: GROUP LIFESTYLE BALANCE
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Prevention`s Diabetes Diet Cookbook (Paperback) $17.24 Nearly 21 million Americans already have diabetes, and at least 54 million adults over the age of 20 are at risk. Fortunately, there is good news: Studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes-and even return their blood glucose levels to normal. This outstanding cookbook draws on the latest science to make losing weight and getting blood sugar under control easier than ever before. Diabetes Diet Cookbook features:-a new approach to controlling blood sugar naturally-by eating up to 50 grams of fiber a day (nearlytwice the USDA`s recommended daily intake)-easy menu plans that lower daily carb intake to target abdominal fat, a leading risk for the heartdisease that commonly accompanies diabetes-more than 200 great-tasting dishes-from Better-for-You Burritos and Skinny Monte Cristos to fabulous special-occasion desserts-that will satisfy the whole family and completely eliminate the need for separate meals-hundreds of practical tips for living well with diabetes Designed to bring about steady, permanent weight loss-up to 2 pounds a week until one`s goal weight is reached-and filled with inspirational, real-life success stories that illustrate Prevention`s trusted advice in action, this is an indispensable book for anyone who has, or is at risk of developing, diabetes. |
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Flat Belly Diet! Diabetes (Paperback) $14.09 Like the instant bestseller Flat Belly Diet!, this new diabetes-focused plan applies the latest research proving that monounsaturated fatty acids (or MUFAs) may target stubborn belly fat—and targeting that belly fat helps treat the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance. The 5-week program includes a sensible diabetes-friendly diet with no forbidden foods and a delicious “MUFA at every meal,” an easy and flexible fitness routine, and simple stress reduction exercises. The book also features 160 satisfying recipes, expert advice, and insights from real people with type 2 diabetes to help readers lose weight and reverse insulin resistance. |
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The Diabetes Dtour Diet Cookbook (Hardcover) $22.47 The breakthrough program for fighting diabetes is back with a collection of recipes that tackle the dual challenges of weight gain and high blood sugar—deliciously!Since The Diabetes DTOUR Diet debuted in 2009, tens of thousands of people have embraced its unorthodox philosophy that certain foods—or, more precisely, certain nutrients in those foods—can rev up the body’s fat-burning furnace while reining in blood sugar levels.Now DTOUR veterans and newcomers alike have even more ways to eat DTOUR-style. The Diabetes DTOUR Diet Cookbook offers 200 all-new recipes, each brimming with a generous helping of one or more of the fat-blasting, blood sugar–slashing nutrients known as the Fat-Fighting 4.Also inside:-the DTOUR Dozen—12 foods that rank as top-notch sources of the Fat-Fighting 4-4 days of DTOUR menus, with 3 meals and 2 snacks per day!-convenience foods and other products that meet DTOUR’s nutritional standards |