Drop just a few pounds

8 ways to prevent diabetes

Millions of Canadians are living with diabetes and prediabetes. There are steps and lifestyle changes you can take to ward off the disease

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3. Drop just a few pounds

Excess weight is the number one reason adults and children are at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes now than ever before. Gaining weight can pack excess fat around internal organs at your midsection—especially if you're stressed out on a regular basis (stress hormones can send extra fat to the belly). New research shows that this dangerous abdominal fat sends out chemical signals that desensitise cells throughout your body to insulin, the hormone that persuades cells to absorb blood sugar. Insulin resistance is the first step on the path to Type 2 diabetes.

In a landmark clinical trial that followed 3234 people with prediabetes for three years, those who lost just 7 percent of their body weight (5 kg if you now weigh 70 kg) lowered their diabetes risk by 58 percent. In fact, weight loss worked better than insulin-sensitising diabetes medications at cutting the odds of diabetes.

A brisk cardio workout three to five times a week can get rid of belly fat better than dieting, say US researchers at Syracuse University. Brisk walking for 30 minutes each day also works.