Recent studies demonstrate the power of nutrition and exercise to both prevent and manage type 2 diabetes. Getty Images
● According to new research, a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 75 percent.
● A healthy lifestyle can reduce your cardiovascular disease risk by 49 percent.
● According to experts, a lifestyle plan must take into consideration a person’s culture, behavior patterns, and the environment in which they live.
According to a recent study published in Diabetologia by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the choices you make every day can have a significant impact on your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that those with the healthiest of lifestyles have a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease by 49 percent. The healthiest of lifestyles also has a 31 percent reduced risk of death from cancer and a 56 percent lower risk from all causes.
The study included 11.1 million participants who had not yet been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It also included 10 additional studies with participants with a previous diagnosis. Participants came from around the world, including the United States of America, Europe, Asia, and Australia/New Zealand.
The age ranges for the study were 46–69 years, and lifestyle habits as well as diabetes risk were assessed from 4–21 years. The lifestyle factors used to assess the overall health of a participant included nutrition, smoking, alcohol, physical exercise, weight, obesity, and sleep quality.
Researchers concluded after reviewing the data that the percentages of participants who qualify as having the “healthiest lifestyle” possible were low around the world. According to the averages of all the data collected, 14 percent of people have the healthiest of lifestyles, while 11 percent live the least healthy.
The authors of the study, An Pan and Yanbo Zhang from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, said: “It is clear from the results that there are large areas for improvement in lifestyle in all countries.”
Looking at a person as a whole
Sherri Isaak is a lifestyle coach and lifestyle expert. She told Healthline that “this research is fantastic because it takes into account the entire person.” It’s not one thing. “Wellness isn’t all about exercise, smoking cessation or diet changes alone.v
Isaak, working with a concierge physician, coaches patients on all aspects of lifestyle habits, with an emphasis on nutrition, through Cecelia Health.
“Traditionally, when patients visit their physician they are given generic advice to reduce weight and increase exercise. It’s also frustrating because the healthcare providers are pressed for time,” Isaak added.
They need more than a few doctor visits a year in order to change their lifestyle. She said that they need to be supported continuously in order to change their behavior. It takes time to change a habit, whether it’s a lifestyle choice like physical activity, smoking, or alcohol consumption.
Isaak emphasizes that these changes are gradual, and each one comes with a new learning curve. As your life changes, so do the obstacles and challenges you face in managing your health.
Isaak noted that one of her patients had made significant strides toward changing his eating habits over time; however, due to job changes and travel commitments he now had to eat out five days per week and had to learn to make healthy food decisions in a completely unfamiliar setting.
Isaak remembers another patient who had made great progress in lowering their blood sugar and cholesterol. When his parents became ill, he shifted his focus and energy towards them. Isaak explained that “his habits changed as his life changed. He had to find another approach to healthy eating while supporting his parents.”
Isaak remembers another patient who had the habit of eating a certain candy several times a day. He realized that the candy made him think of his grandmother, who had been his primary carer as a child.
Isaak advised, “it is essential that we consider an individual’s personality, their lifestyle and emotional attachment to food as well as the reasons behind their decisions when making recommendations or decisions for them.
She points out that while some people might do well with a diet that is based on macronutrients such as carbohydrates and fat, others may hate the numbers and rigid thinking required by this approach. Support should be tailored to the person’s personality, history, food, and details of their lives.
Before working with Isaak, another person struggled with yoyo dieting for her entire life. She began to improve her health after she stopped focusing on a restrictive diet and started focusing on the big picture.
Isaak explained that it was a combination. “She worked with healthcare professionals who took time to listen and discuss with her, which showed our compassion.
This person expressed her appreciation of the scientific basis behind the unsustainable fad diets that she was struggling to maintain long-term, as well as a realistic and balanced approach to a primarily plant-based diet. Isaak told me, “You need to help them find inspiration.” Why do they want to change their lives?
Diabetes risk and its challenges
The study was limited by the fact that the majority of it was conducted in countries with high incomes. The majority of participants were white. The age range starting at 46 years of age ignores the rising rates of type 2 diabetes among children and young adults.
If this research had included younger participants, populations with less wealth, or other cultures, they would have encountered factors that significantly influence a person’s behavior, such as religion, health literacy, and access to healthcare.
In 2016, a study published in The Lancet Trusted Source examined global diabetes rates between 1980 and 2014. The Lancet Trusted Source published a study in 2016 that tracked global diabetes rates from 1980 to 2014.
The obesity rate is nearly 50% in countries that eat a starch-based diet, like China, TrustedSource, India, and Mexico.
Although genes play a part in the risk of diabetes, research shows that changes in diet and lifestyle are able to prevent it in large measure.
Isaak explained that you cannot tell people to avoid something when it is a fundamental part of their religion or culture.
“Instead of trying to teach someone portion sizes, I’d try to show them how even healthy food can affect your blood sugar level.” She asked, “What other foods are available to them that could help balance their diet?”
Isaak says that it is easy to forget, even in the United States, that many families struggle to get access to food at all, let alone healthy food.
Many people around the world do not have access to affordable health care and medication. This includes those who live in the richest countries.
Ginger Vieira, a patient expert with celiac, fibromyalgia, and type 1 diabetes, is a well-known expert. You can find her diabetes books at Amazon, and you can connect with her via Twitter and YouTube.
Credit: The Web Health & Drugs Discussion
