We can prevent diabetes. And that is a reassuring fact many fail to grasp either because they don’t know it or simply because they don’t want to make important lifestyle changes necessary to prevent the disease. Learning about this subtle but deadly metabolic disorder and understanding how it undermines your health is the first but often overlooked step towards identifying effective measures against diabetes assault. Here are the top preventive actions you can take to effectively combat diabetes in any of its forms.
Reduce Sugar Intake
Because diabetes is basically a problem of glucose metabolism, reducing your intake of foods with high sugar content is an imperative step to prevent diabetes. Avoid consumption of refined carbohydrates like those found in white bread, pastries, processed juices and soft drinks, instead start becoming conscious of the effect of certain foods on your blood sugar. Stay away from high glycemic foods or that which could create a spike in blood glucose levels.
Eat A High Fiber Diet
Plan your meals everyday to include at least 70 percent of complex carbohydrates with about 35 grams of fiber. Most vegetables with exception of carrots and potatoes which are starchy, legumes, oat, seed husks like psyllium, nuts and apple are good sources of fiber. Many studies point out that eating fiber daily could lead to a significant decrease in blood sugar.
Lose Weight
Many of those who have diabetes also have weight problems. Indeed, obesity is considered a major contributor to the development of the disease. Losing weight can help in alleviating the symptoms associated with the disease such as fatigue, nausea and anxiety attacks.
Get Physically Active
An active lifestyle brings a lot of health benefits and exercising regularly can definitely prevent diabetes. Recent clinical studies showed that those who engage in even simple physical activities such as walking cut their risk of developing diabetes by a whopping 50%. Exercise is naturally effective in bringing down your blood sugar levels since your body is forced to burn glucose for energy and its glucose-lowering effects could even extend to few more hours after an exercise activity.
How to Cure Diabetes
Millions have been affected, but there is still no one single drug to cure diabetes. While insulin injections have been used as a treatment for diabetes, it does not actually cure diabetes. Instead insulin is merely a temporary solution to reduce the complications that accompanies the disorder and a means to improve the quality of life for many diabetics.
Causative mechanisms have been proposed across a range of possible biological systems including gene defects, viral and bacterial triggers, dysfunction in sensory neurons, and autoimmunity factors among the research community in an effort to discover a permanent cure for diabetes. As diabetes research continues move forward, promising treatments are now being investigated and tested as possible cure for diabetes.
Stem cell Therapy
Many researchers are hoping that the science of stem cell could be an answer to many chronic diseases including a way to cure diabetes. Initial animal studies on Type 1 diabetes using grafted stem cells in the pancreas yield encouraging results. Growth of new beta cells in the pancreas and production of insulin is actually observed. However, the process of implanting stem cells in humans is not yet available.
Bariatric Surgery
People with Type 2 diabetes who underwent weight loss surgery have actually improved their health profile and their need to maintain diabetes medications. For many who had real problem losing weight through diet and exercise, bariatric surgery has been considered as an option to keep their weight within normal levels. But diabetes could recur once they gain back those extra pounds.
Capsaicin Injections
In a 2006 study, a group of researchers discovered that an active compound in chilli peppers called capsaicin when injected into the pancreas of Type 1 diabetic mice killed the pancreatic sensory neurons and stimulated the gland to start producing insulin at normal levels. This study however, has not been replicated in humans to see if it has the same positive effects.
For alternative treatment, you may go for Ayurveda remedies for diabetes. This is a traditional remedies from India which been practiced by the local communities for centuries.
All of these promising medical procedures remain at the level of laboratory testing and a number of controlled clinical studies are still needed to test its medical value and effectiveness as a means to cure diabetes.
