21 Easy Ways to Get Diabetes | HealthInfi

Choose dairy daily

Dairy haters, listen up: Women who ate the most low-fat dairy products had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study of more than 82,000 women published in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers think that certain milk proteins increase insulin secretion. Interaction among nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium may also lower the risk of diabetes. Another factor: If you’re filling up on dairy, you may be less likely to eat other foods, such as sweetened beverages or snacks, which can raise diabetes risk. (Could you have diabetes? Don’t miss these surprising diabetes symptoms.)Use the news: Swap your usual bagel or muffin breakfast for yogurt (mix in berries and nuts for a filling, nutritious parfait), enjoy a glass of skim milk with fruit for dessert, and snack on a low-fat string cheese with a couple of whole-grain crackers to quench pre-dinner cravings.

Eat the rainbow

New research confirms that a produce-rich diet can reduce your diabetes risk, according to a British study from the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge. After researchers studied the eating habits of more than 3,700 adults ages 40 through 79, then followed them for 11 years, they discovered that adults with the highest fruit and vegetable intake (about six servings daily) had a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who ate the least (about two servings a day). Variety mattered: People who consumed 16 different kinds of produce a week were 40 percent less likely to develop diabetes than those who ate just eight different types. Here’s how eating a high-fiber diet helps diabetes. Use the news: Have at least one fruit or veggie at every meal or snack, and change things up from day to day and week to week. Challenge yourself to buy one new item a week at the supermarket and learn a new recipe to prepare it.

Get personal

Guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes say blood sugar goals should be based on individual risk factors, such as age, health status, and diabetes complications. Doctors may recommend hitting a lower A1c level in people who are younger and have no risk factors for heart disease or serious bouts with low blood sugar. People 65 and older with some of these issues may have less rigid numbers to hit, in part because of concerns about low blood sugar levels and side effects from too many medications. The guidelines also recommend metformin as a first-line type 2 diabetes treatment (unless a patient has near-normal A1C numbers and is highly motivated to make lifestyle changes). Other drugs can be added if after three months blood sugar levels aren’t controlled on metformin alone. Use the news: Ask your physician what he or she thinks about the changes and how they may apply to you—especially if you have been recently diagnosed, have changed or added medications, or have made significant lifestyle changes (like a big weight loss).

Skip this side dish

A recent Harvard study found the greater a person’s white rice intake, the higher his or her risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers examined the data from more than 350,000 participants over the course of four to 22 years. Compared with its brown counterpart, white rice has lower levels of fiber, magnesium, and vitamins. In addition, white rice is considered a high glycemic food, which means it’s digested quickly and can lead to blood sugar spikes. Use the news: Hate the taste of brown rice? Mix it with white to help your taste buds adjust, gradually upping the proportion of brown to white. Or consider one of these good carbs for diabetics.Read more