Diabetes Risk Factors

Nutrition::Diabetes Risk Factors

Several risk factors can put you at an increased risk for developing diabetes. If you have one or more of the following risk factors, you should talk to your health care provider about how you can start working now to try to prevent diabetes or delay its onset.

Age 45 & older
Being overweight
Being inactive
Smoking
Family history (a sibling or parent with diabetes)
Ethnicity (Alaska Natives, American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and persons of Hispanic/Latino descent are more likely to develop diabetes)
High blood pressure
High cholesterol and/or triglycerides
History of gestational diabetes or delivery of at least one baby weighing more than nine pounds

Let’s face it, you can’t change your family history or age, but you can make some changes in other risk factors that will make a big difference in your diabetes risk. Follow these important steps:

Manage Your Weight

Weight loss can help you decrease your risk of Type 2 diabetes in many ways. Excess weight can make it harder for the insulin in your body to work, causing insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is one of the major problems in Type 2 diabetes. By losing weight, you can help the insulin in your body work more effectively.

Losing just five to ten percent of your total body weight can help you improve your overall health. Weight loss will help you reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, and help reduce your risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Keep Blood Pressure in Check

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries in your body. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is dangerous because it makes your heart work too hard. High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms. Anyone can develop high blood pressure, regardless of age, race, or gender. High blood pressure increases your risk of many of the long-term complications of diabetes, like stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and blindness.

A blood pressure level of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high. Your health care provider can check your blood pressure. If it is too high, you can take steps such as losing weight, becoming more physically active, eating a diet lower in sodium, and reducing alcohol intake to help bring it back to a healthy level. If you are a smoker, quitting will also help reduce your blood pressure.

Cholesterol Counts

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in the blood and in all of your cells. Triglycerides are another part of fat. Although it’s normal to have some cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood, too much of these substances can increase your risk for long-term complications of diabetes, like stroke and heart disease. Managing your cholesterol and triglycerides can help improve your health. You can lose weight, become more physically active, eat a diet lower in fat and saturated fat, and reduce alcohol consumption to help lower your cholesterol and triglycerides. If you are a smoker, quitting may also help lower your triglyceride levels.

Kick the Habit for a Healthier Future

Smoking can cause lung and several other cancers, as well as long-term complications like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done, and it is one of the single most important things you can do to live a healthier life. People who quit smoking can almost immediately begin to see positive health changes like improved smell, taste, and lung function. Over the long term, experts say people who quit smoking can see big benefits.

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Circulation improves and lung function increases.
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease and tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs regain normal function, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
1 year after quitting: Risk of coronary heart disease compared to a smoker is cut in half.
5 years after quitting: Stroke risk is reduced to level of a non-smoker in 5 to 15 years after quitting.
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of smoker. Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is same as a non-smoker.

For more information on quitting smoking, contact the free Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Trained quit coaches are standing by to help you kick the habit for good.