6 Natural Ways to Avoid Diabetes
The increasing rate of diabetes is alarming, resulting in about 1.6million death yearly, with its major percentage amongst developing countries, Nigeria included. Both young and old can be a victim. Therefore, how to prevent diabetes is the question asked by the majority, because the aftermath of diabetes when not treated gives rise to other detrimental diseases. Such as blindness, kidney failure, stroke, damaged nervous system, heart attack, and amputation of the lower limb.
However, before we look at how to prevent diabetes, it’s best we understand what diabetes is all about, its types, and likewise, what causes it.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a metabolic disease also known as diabetes mellitus. This occurs when the body’s glucose or sugar is high. It all begins with the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. Responsible for transporting glucose from the body to the cell to be used as energy or stored. Likewise, when the body experiences difficulty in using the insulin produced effectively. The two-process leads to the accumulation of sugar in the body resulting in diabetes.
What Causes Diabetes?
Medically, the main cause of diabetes stems from damaged insulin in charge of regulating body sugar. As the body’s immune system fights infection and other diseases bacteria and viruses attack the insulin and when it weakens it becomes difficult to transport sugar.
Obvious symptoms include blurred vision, fatigue, increased thirst, frequent urination, and infections.
Types Of Diabetes
1. Type I diabetes
The inability of the pancreas to produce insulin causing high storage of glucose in the body. Type I diabetes affects more children and young adults.
2. Type II Diabetes
This occurs when the body resists insulin. Whereby, it fails to use produced insulin efficiently, causing glucose to build up in the bloodstream. However, type II diabetes affects adults above 45years.
3. Gestational Diabetes
This type of diabetes is common amongst pregnant women. Experience when insulin blocks hormones during pregnancy, the aftermath is the accumulation of sugar in the body. Affects both the mother and child.
How to Prevent Diabetes
1. Minimize Sugar Intake
A high intake of sugar and sugary products such as; chocolates, candies, yoghurts, sugary soda drinks, and ice cream boosts the likelihood of diabetes. Most especially when the body cell becomes resistant to insulin’s actions.
Glucose broken down from that food is unable to circulate across the cell, hence, is absorbed into your bloodstream.
2. Maximize Fiber Intake
Fibre products do the opposite of surgery products. Instead of increasing the body sugar, it helps keep the blood sugar and insulin low. Also, can be used to keep one’s weight in check. Preferably insoluble fibre which doesn’t absorb water. The more natural and unprocessed a food product is the higher its fibre content.
Foods with high fibre include; pear, strawberries, barley, avocado, carrots, nuts, peas, beans, potatoes, wholegrain, and wheat.
3. Avoid Smoking
How to prevent diabetes also entails abstinence from smoking. It contains carbon monoxide (CO) which replaces oxygen in the blood, making other organs starved of oxygen.
Smoking leads to heart disease, cancer of the breast, lungs, and likewise prostate. However, research has proven that about 60% of smokers have a high risk of diabetes.
4. Engage More in Exercise
Effective work-out increases the function of insulin. The more sensitive your insulin becomes to glucose, it will be able to transport glucose from the blood to the cells. Likewise, those living with abdominal fat can also employ exercise methods to burn out fast. This is essential as abdominal fat increases inflammation and causes the body to resist insulin.
Other methods of losing abdominal fat are; healthy diet, reduced alcohol intake, and aerobics exercise.
5. Natural Herbs Helps Prevent Diabetes
They are categories of natural herbs which are used to increase insulin sensitivity to carry out its function of sugar regulations effectively. Also, decreased fats, support digestion, improves blood glucose level and concentration.
These herbs include aloe vera, bitter melon, ginger, cinnamon, and fenugreek.
6. Take in Lots of Vitamin D
The level of vitamin D in the body determines the amount of sugar absorbed by the body and transported to cells. One of the roles of vitamin D in the body is to strengthen the insulin when damaged by bacteria and viruses.
Sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, cod liver oil, egg yolk, mushrooms, and sunlight.
Final Words
How to prevent diabetes should be preferred above its treatments which are demanding. You shouldn’t wait until you experience its symptoms or when diagnosed with diabetes before applying preventive measures. It’s advisable to include the above methods as part of your routine. These healthy habits in turn will boost your immune system to fight other harmful diseases.
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6 Natural How to Prevent Diabetes
