How can I eat healthy so i don't end up with diabetes?

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  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I thought there was nothing you could do to prevent TYPE I diabetes. The type that runs in families.
    Both are slightly hereditary. T2DM runs in my family, but I somehow ended up developing T1DM (there's no family history of T1DM or autoimmune disease that I know of). I'm trying to find the source again, but I think I read somewhere that more people are diagnosed with T1DM without a family history of it than people with it (though the risk of developing it increases if you have an immediate family history of it).

    According to this website
    For type 1 diabetes...
    • There is a 10-20x greater risk of developing T1DM if you have an immediate relative with it. The risk rises from 1:100 to about 1:10 (if not higher)
    • Sibling risk is 1:10 of developing T1DM before age 50.
    • Risk from parent to child is lower if the mother has T1DM compared to the father. The risk of a child having T1DM if the mother has it is close to the "general population" risk (1:100) if the mother is over 25. If a parent developed T1DM before the age of 11, their children have a higher risk of also developing T1DM before the age of 11.

    For type 2 diabetes...
    • The general population risk of developing T2DM is 1:9
    • The risk increases by two-fold if you have one parent with T2DM (despite the parent being lean at the time of diagnosis)
    • The risk increases by four-fold (1:2 risk) if both parents have it.
    • <1/3 of T2DM patients have a strong family history of it

    Remember that T2DM accounts for about 90-95% of all diabetes cases. It's typically safe to assume that someone implies T2DM if they say they have a family history of it.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I thought there was nothing you could do to prevent TYPE I diabetes. The type that runs in families.

    Type 1 runs in families (it is a specific gene) but the main risk factor for Type 2 is genetics, more along racial lines than actual family. People of African descent have the highest risk of developing T2Dm. Pacific Islanders have the second highest risk.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
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    I'm not sure you can avoid it completely. My father has diabetes and I've been tested countless times as negative even when i weighed 280. I don't go out of my way to avoid sugar either. In fact most days i'm over my goal. Not sure which type he has though. I think the best you can do is keep your weight down and hope but, I kinda feel like if you're gonna get it you're gonna get it
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can reduce the risk most by staying at a normal weight and being physically active.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    This. Thirty minutes a day is enough, generally. And according to my doctor, a 38" waist (for women) is the maximum. Stay under that to reduce your risk. What you eat has no bearing on your propensity for developing diabetes. It's all about how much you eat (and thus your size) and genetic and lifestyle risk factors.
  • allaboutthefood
    allaboutthefood Posts: 781 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    1. Keep your weight at a normal level
    2. Exercise

    That is it. If you have not been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, there is no reason to worry about eating carbs, etc. What you eat does not give you diabetes. You get it from a combination of at least 2 or more of the risk factors: genetics, being overweight, long term use of certain medications (esp. statins and antidepressants), and age (and a bunch more where there is a correlation but not proven causation).

    If you have been diagnosed with either, you might want to follow your MD and/or RD's recommendations as to what dietary changes are needed.

    This, OP I am guessing type 2 diabetes runs in your family. We have both in our family and I had gestational diabetes with my 2nd pregnancy so I am at higher risk for number 2. Keep active and keep your weight at a normal level, but it's never a bad idea to eat healthy whole foods.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited January 2016
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    1. Eat a Mediterranean diet ( = a balanced diet and you can eat it all in moderation as long as you dont have any medical issues with certain food groups...so also sugar is no problem...moderation is the key)
    2. Keep a healthy weight
    3. Move/Exercise/ be active


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    btw like @ninerbuff said you reduce the risk of getting it
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    sarahthes wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can reduce the risk most by staying at a normal weight and being physically active.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    This. Thirty minutes a day is enough, generally. And according to my doctor, a 38" waist (for women) is the maximum. Stay under that to reduce your risk. What you eat has no bearing on your propensity for developing diabetes. It's all about how much you eat (and thus your size) and genetic and lifestyle risk factors.

    Can you point me in the direction of the studies that proved that what you eat has no bearing on your propensity for developing diabetes?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    umayster wrote: »
    sarahthes wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    You can reduce the risk most by staying at a normal weight and being physically active.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    This. Thirty minutes a day is enough, generally. And according to my doctor, a 38" waist (for women) is the maximum. Stay under that to reduce your risk. What you eat has no bearing on your propensity for developing diabetes. It's all about how much you eat (and thus your size) and genetic and lifestyle risk factors.

    Can you point me in the direction of the studies that proved that what you eat has no bearing on your propensity for developing diabetes?

    Would it change your mind even if somebody showed you a study?
  • ba502
    ba502 Posts: 54 Member
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    As someone who has successfully lowered my blood sugar numbers to below prediabetic levels I suggest: exercise 30 mins per day), lose weight, and eat a diet that is more protein and veggie and lower in carbs. One of the best things I did was talk to a nutritionist and attended a few diabete information sessions. I learned a lot on how to eat a healthy and well balanced meal.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Check out http://www.dlife.com/. It's designed for diabetics, but is also great for prediabetics and/or folks like you who just don't want to go down that path
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    To help lower your chances of diabetes AND numerous other chronic health conditions:
    1.) Maintain a healthy body weight
    2.) Eat a nutritionally balanced diet (if you have any deficiencies these should be addressed)
    3.) maintain an active lifestyle. The guideline suggests either 5 days a week of 30 minutes moderate intensity exercise like jogging or brisk walking totaling a minimum of 150 minutes -or- 3 days a week of 25 minutes vigorous exercise such as running totaling 75 minutes per week.

    Your chances for most chronic diseases will be significantly lowered.

    If you have pre-diabetes, hypo or hyper glycemia, or any current blood sugar issues you should see your physician and consult with them on your specific approach.