Sweet Success in Staving off Diabetes
(Page 4 of 7)
February/March 2006
By Linda B. White, M.D.
Exercise and weight loss. To lose weight, you have to both restrict calories and increase physical activity. That means choosing an exercise program that works for you. Exercise heightens the body’s sensitivity to insulin, improves glucose control and cardiovascular health, battles the dreaded bulge and relieves stress. Compared to “couch potatoes,” physically active people halve their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You don’t have to run the New York Marathon to stay healthy; even moderate exercise (brisk walking for 30 minutes a day) can help stave off the disease and improve health in diabetics.
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Obesity is the biggest risk factor for diabetes, and carrying extra weight also aggravates the disease’s complications. Shedding even a few pounds can reduce the risk of developing diabetes. In people with type 2 diabetes, weight loss reduces insulin resistance, lowers blood levels of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides (fats found in blood cells), and decreases blood pressure.
Supplements
Nutritional supplements also can play a role in preventing and treating diabetes. A handful of nutrients have been shown to improve blood-sugar control in diabetics, although so far, no single supplement has yielded conclusive scientific results. The most promising are antioxidant vitamins, magnesium and chromium. High doses of any one vitamin or mineral can upset the balance of other substances in your body, so most nutrition experts recommend formulas with a mixture of antioxidant vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Dutton says that taking a multivitamin can’t hurt, but people should get the majority of their nutrients from food.
Antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, other carotenoids and selenium help neutralize free radicals—unstable molecules that damage other tissues. Everyone needs antioxidants to reduce this damage, but they are especially important in treating diabetes, which causes accelerated production of free radicals. Research in this area has focused on vitamin E, and most, but not all, of these studies have shown positive results with supplements. Food sources of vitamin E include seeds, nuts, whole grains and polyunsaturated vegetable oils. For other antioxidants, fresh fruits and vegetables provide vitamin C and carotenoids, and selenium is abundant in nuts — especially brazil nuts and walnuts.
Magnesium levels are commonly low in diabetics, and deficiency in this mineral heightens insulin resistance. People with higher dietary intake of magnesium cut their risk of diabetes by a third. However, studies in which people with type 2 diabetes took magnesium supplements have shown mixed results. Good food sources of magnesium are whole grains, legumes, green leafy vegetables, tofu, seeds and nuts.
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