How you live your life affects your health. An unhealthy lifestyle affects your quality of life and increases your risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
At MS Family Medicine Health Care PC, with New York City offices in Rosedale and Garden City, we see firsthand how lifestyle affects health and well-being, including how it increases the risk of developing diabetes and complications related to diabetes.
That’s why our medical director, Michele Reed, DO, FAAFP, and our team of compassionate health care providers focus so much on wellness and preventative care.
Here, we want to share with you lifestyle factors that influence diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that causes higher than normal blood glucose levels. The glucose in your blood comes from the food you eat and supplies all the cells in your body with energy. Insulin, a hormone made in your pancreas, helps get glucose from your blood into the cell.
You develop diabetes because of problems related to insulin. Either your pancreas no longer makes insulin — as is the case with Type 1 diabetes — or your body no longer uses insulin like it should — as is the case with Type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes typically occurs during childhood or adolescence and is believed to be a genetic condition triggered by environmental factors.
Type 2 diabetes is more common than Type 1 diabetes. Though you can develop Type 2 diabetes at any age, it’s more common in adults age 45 and older. It’s also more common in people of color and those with a family history of Type 2 diabetes.
However, lifestyle factors are also a risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes.
Your risk of developing diabetes depends on many factors, including your genes, ethnicity, age, and lifestyle. Though you can’t change all these risk factors, making changes to your lifestyle may significantly reduce your risk.
In fact, you can have prediabetes — which is when your blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes — and prevent your prediabetes from progressing to Type 2 diabetes by making these lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle factors that can help prevent the development of diabetes include:
Being overweight or obese are major risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that losing as little as 5-10% of your current weight may prevent you from developing the chronic health condition.
Your diet affects your weight and health. Because we consider diet one of the most important aspects of wellness and preventive care, we offer nutritional counseling to provide the guidance and tools you need to make healthier food choices.
Eating a healthy diet filled with whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein, can help you maintain a healthy weight, lower cholesterol, improve blood pressure, and prevent diabetes.
Physical inactivity also increases your risk of developing diabetes. We recommend you aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity five days a week to improve your health and help prevent diabetes.
It’s no secret that tobacco products are bad for your health. For diabetes, smoking may affect insulin function and increase your risk of developing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
Many of the same lifestyle factors we recommend for preventing diabetes are the same factors we recommend for managing diabetes, such as attaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular physical activity.
Making healthy lifestyle choices can improve your blood glucose numbers and reduce your risk of developing diabetes-related health complications, such as heart disease, neuropathy, and kidney disease.
We recommend these lifestyle changes for all types of diabetes, including Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes.
Having a healthy lifestyle can improve your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. We can help you make the changes you need to live a better life. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with MS Family Medicine Health Care PC today.
