For today’s blog, we’ll be discussing diabetes, the different types, how one gets diabetes and most importantly, ways to prevent getting diabetes. 

 Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine.  

The following are the different types of diabetes:  

1. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar(glucose).  With type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or it resists insulin.  This is the most common form of this disease. 
2. Type 1 Diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes) is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin.  This is considered rare as fewer than 200,000 us cases per year. 
3. Prediabetes (also called impaired glucose tolerance) is a condition in which blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes.  Without intervention, it’s likely to become type 2 diabetes within 10 years. 

 With those definitions in mind, let’s go over what exactly causes diabetes.  Here is a rundown of the most common reasons:  

1. Being overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity 
2. Insulin resistance 
3. Genes and family history 
4. Genetic mutations 
5. Hormonal diseases 
6. Poor diet 

 Finally, we will go over in details ways to prevent diabetes: 

1. Eat more greens 
2. Don’t smoke 
3. Don’t drink alcohol 
4. Cut back on salt 
5. Exercise regularly 
6. Go high fiber 
7. Avoid foods that are high in sugar or are highly processed 
8. Develop good sleeping habits 
9. Get an annual checkup with your doctor 

 We hope that this quick overview has been informative. Please make sure to check in next week when we go over the subject of walking and the wonders it can do for your overall health.