Best of 2016: Great tips to defeat prediabetes and diabetes
Prediabetes and diabetes are rampant in the U.S. So in 2016, we offered several tips to help you get a handle on your glucose levels, if your blood sugar control is slipping away, because that's when you have a real opportunity to make your new year much healthier!
Get checked: If you're overweight, have a waist size greater than half your height, have triglycerides above 250mg/dL, HDL cholesterol below 35mg/dL, high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes or had gestational diabetes, get your blood glucose levels checked.
Fasting plasma blood glucose in the 100-125 mg/dL range and a reading of 140-199 mg/dL two hours after an oral glucose tolerance test and A1Cs (average blood glucose level over three months) from 5.7 to 6.4 percent indicates prediabetes.
Take action: The earlier you take action the easier it is to avoid diabetes and its serious complications. Yet one study found "three-fourths of those with prediabetes were not provided with an appropriate treatment plan" by their doctor. So it's up to you to take the initiative! Losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight and walking an extra 150 minutes a week can cut your risk for developing full-blown diabetes by 58 percent!
Battle diabetes and high blood pressure: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, with probiotics-packed foods, can reduce your fasting blood sugar and A1C levels. DASH also can help you reverse (that's right, reverse) full-blown diabetes and reduce high blood pressure. Adopting a nutrition plan that benefits both conditions is a one-two punch.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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