Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

[Night_Hawk]

Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

It sounds too good to be true: reversing type 2 diabetes through exercise and healthy eating.

While certain lifestyle changes are key to managing diabetes, whether you can actually turn back time so that it's like you never had diabetes is a different matter. That depends on how long you've had the condition, how severe it is, and your genes.

Make Changes That Count

"The term 'reversal' is used when people can go off medication but still must engage in a lifestyle program in order to stay off," says Ann Albright, PhD, RD. She's the director of diabetes translation at the CDC.

Shedding extra pounds and keeping them off can help you better control your blood sugar.

For some people, reaching a healthier weight will mean taking fewer medications, or in rarer cases, no longer needing those medications at all.

Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight and building up to 150 minutes of exercise a week may help you to slow or stop the progress of type 2 diabetes.

"If you sit [inactive] most of the day, 5 or 10 minutes is going to be great," Albright says. "Walk to your mailbox. Do something that gets you moving, knowing that you're looking to move towards 30 minutes most days of the week."

The Proof

In one study, people with type 2 diabetes exercised for 175 minutes a week, limited their calories to 1,200 to 1,800 per day, and got weekly counseling and education on these lifestyle changes.

Within a year, about 10% got off their diabetes medications or improved to the point where their blood sugar level was no longer in the diabetes range, and was instead classified as prediabetes.

Results were best for those who lost the most weight or who started the program with less severe or newly diagnosed diabetes. Fifteen percent to 20% of these people were able to stop taking their diabetes medications.

Don’t Blame Yourself

If you make changes to your diet and exercise routine, and your diabetes doesn’t improve, it's not your fault, Albright says.
"The earlier in the course of the [condition] that you make these changes, the more likely you are to stack the deck in your favor that you won't progress," Albright says.

Your weight and lifestyle aren’t the only things that matter. Your genes also influence whether you get type 2 diabetes. Some thin people are living with type 2 diabetes, too.

Still, your weight and lifestyle are things you can change, and they are important parts of your overall health.

Know the Goal

What you’re aiming for: your best health, not someone else’s. Diet and exercise alone will control diabetes for some people. For others, a combination of medication and healthy habits will keep them at their best.

"If you have been able to manage on lifestyle intervention [or changes] alone, continue to do that. If you need to go on medication, do what's necessary [for] your health," Albright says. "You need to take advantage of the treatment that's going to keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check."

http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/reversing-type-2-diabetes

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=2]Blood Sugar Levels for Adults With Diabetes[/h]

Each time you test your blood sugar, log it in a notebook or online tool or with an app. Note the date, time, results, and any recent activities:

• What medication and dosage you took
• What you ate
• How much and what kind of exercise you were doing

That will help you and your doctor see how your treatment is working.
Well-managed diabetes can delay or prevent complications that affect your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes doubles your risk for heart disease and stroke, too. Fortunately, controlling your blood sugar will also make these problems less likely.
Tight blood sugar control, however, means a greater chance of low blood sugar levels, so your doctor may suggest higher targets.


http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/normal-blood-sugar-levels-chart-adults

 

[jaanmark]

5 MINUTE exercise five times that's all you need to be fit.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Article Link: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/take-control-15/healthy-diet-basics?page=1


[h=1] Ready to Take Control of Your Diabetes? [/h]

This content is selected and controlled by WebMD's editorial staff and is brought to you by Janssen Biotech, Inc.



[h=2]The Basics of a Healthy Diabetes Diet[/h]
Good news! There is no single “diabetes diet” you have to stick to. The same foods that are good for you are good for everyone else.
With diabetes, though, you do have to track how many carbohydrates you get each day. Carbs affect your blood sugar more than fats or protein. (Still, most people with diabetes have to watch how much fat and protein they get, too.)
Make smart food choices to help keep your blood sugar levels in check. Ask your doctor, a registered dietitian, or a diabetes educator for advice on exactly what you need.
They may recommend that you start using the glycemic index. It ranks how different foods affect blood sugar. Foods at the top of the glycemic index send your blood sugar higher than those lower down on the index.
You can also use these three tips to eat right:

1. Make your plate colorful. That's an easy way to make sure you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and lean protein.
2. Watch your calories. Your age, gender, and activity level affect how many calories you need to gain, lose, or maintain your weight.
3. Go for fiber. You get fiber from plant foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. Studies suggest that people with type 2 diabetes who eat a high-fiber diet can improve their blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

[h=3]How Much Can You Eat?[/h] Check serving sizes -- they may be smaller than you think. Eat only the amount of food in your diabetes meal plan. Extra calories lead to extra fat and pounds.
In people with type 2 diabetes, extra fat means your body doesn’t respond as well to insulin.
Do not skip meals. Eat meals and snacks at regular times every day. If you take a diabetes drug, eat your meals and take your medicine at the same times each day.
[h=3]What Is the TLC Diet for Diabetes?[/h] If you have high cholesterol as well as diabetes, your doctor will probably recommend the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) plan.
The goal is to lower your cholesterol level, drop extra weight, and become more active. That helps prevent heart disease, which is more common in people with diabetes.
[h=3]What Is the TLC Diet for Diabetes? continued...[/h] On the TLC diet, you will:

• Limit fat to 25%-35% of total daily calories.

• Get no more than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fat, 10% or less from polyunsaturated fats, and up to 20% from monounsaturated fats (like plant oils or nuts).

• Keep carbs to 50% to 60% of your daily calories.

• Aim for 20-30 grams of fiber per day.

• Allow 15% to 20% of your daily calories for protein.

• Cap cholesterol at less than 200 milligrams per day.

You’ll also need to get more exercise and keep up with your medical treatment.
[h=3]Can You Have Sugar?[/h] You might have heard that people with diabetes shouldn't have any table sugar. While some health care professionals say that, others take a more forgiving view.
Most experts now say that small amounts of sugar are fine, as long as they're part of an overall healthy meal plan. Table sugar does not raise your blood sugar any more than starches do, which are found in many foods.
Remember that sugar is a carb. Substitute, don't add: When you eat a sugary food, such as cookies, cake, or candy, substitute them for another carb or starch (for example, potatoes) that you would have eaten that day. Ultimately, the total grams of carbohydrates matter more than the source of the sugar.
Make sure you account for this in your carbohydrate budget for the day. Adjust your medications if you add sugars to your meals. If you take insulin, tweak your insulin dose for the added carbohydrates so you can maintain blood sugar control as much as possible. Check your blood sugar after eating sugary foods.
Read food labels so you know how much sugar or carbs are in the things you eat and drink. Also, check on how many calories and how much fat are in a serving.
[h=3]Other Sweeteners[/h] You can add artificial sweeteners to your food and to drinks without adding more carbs.
Items with artificial sweeteners or “sugar-free” foods are not necessarily zero-carbohydrate foods, though. Many have carbs, so check the food label. As long as you're aware of the carbs, you can adjust your meal or medication to maintain blood sugar control.
Some artificial sweeteners -- such as xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol -- have some calories and do slightly raise blood sugar levels.
If you eat too much of any artificial sweetener, you can get gas and diarrhea, the American Diabetes Association notes.
Stevia is another option. It's not an artificial sweetener, and it has no calories.
[h=3]What About Alcohol?[/h] It’s a good idea to ask your doctor if it’s OK for you to drink alcohol. If they say yes, only drink occasionally, and only when your blood sugar level is well-controlled. Remember, most wine and mixed drinks have sugar, and alcohol also has a lot of calories.

 

[shumali]

Basic message is Diabetes is a non curable disease, all you can do is control or manage it, and you die with it (cry)

 

[jason]

Basic message is Diabetes is a non curable disease, all you can do is control or manage it, and you die with it (cry)

a disease or a 'condition'.

 

[shumali]

a disease or a 'condition'.

Wikipedia defines it as a group of metabolic diseases. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus