Globally, the number of instances of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. When compared to the rest of the population, Indians, who are more prone to diabetes, tend to experience the metabolic disorder at a younger age. The good news is that making lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. You can prevent having the condition if you live an active lifestyle, consume a balanced diet, and avoid junk food, deep-fried foods, sweet snacks, and refined flour. Additionally, stress is a lifestyle component that may increase your risk of developing diabetes, therefore it’s critical to acquire coping mechanisms.
The following lifestyle choices increase your risk of developing diabetes:
1. Bad diet
Diabetes risk can be considerably increased if you eat carelessly and consume an excessive amount of processed meals, junk food, white flour-based foods, fizzy beverages, and refined carbohydrates. One of the major risk factors for diabetes is obesity, which can be brought on by this practice. Excess body fat, particularly in the abdominal region, can result from this, which elevates blood sugar levels and promotes insulin resistance.
2. Excessive amounts of inactivity while you’re seated
The majority of those who are employed are doing professions that require sitting for extended periods of time and have unpredictable work schedules. The levels of the stress chemicals cortisol and vasopressin in our bodies might rise when we lead a sedentary lifestyle and engage in unhealthy food, poor sleep, and high levels of stress. These elements collectively form the basis of diabetes. At least five days a week of consistent, low-intensity exercise, such as walking, running, yoga, or aerobics, will help you burn calories and increase your insulin sensitivity.
3. Consuming refined carbs
The main food offenders in creating obesity and diabetes are refined sugar and maida. As already digested types of carbs, refined sugar and maida are quickly absorbed into our bloodstream and induce a sugar spike, which encourages the unpredictable release of large amounts of insulin. In contrast, when we consume complex carbohydrates, our blood sugar levels rise gradually and the insulin secretion is more physiological.
4. Smoking
Smoking, whether it be from cigarettes, bidis, hookahs, or e-cigarettes, is very bad for one’s health because it contains many dangerous chemicals and carcinogens that impact all of the body’s organs and raise the risk of diabetes. Additionally, it can hinder the body’s ability to produce and use insulin, which might result in insulin resistance.
5. Stress
If you have trouble managing your stress and live a high-stress lifestyle, it may influence your blood sugar levels and hasten the onset of diabetes.It’s crucial to remember that changing these lifestyle behaviors for the better will greatly lower your risk of having diabetes. People with a family history of diabetes should start scheduling routine medical exams at age 45.
6. Excessive alcohol consumptiom
The liver is the body’s detoxifying and blood sugar-stabilizing organ. Alcohol abuse can harm the liver, which can lead to an imbalance in the body’s sugar levels. Additionally, alcohol has little nutritional value and is essentially empty calories. This encourages diabetes and obesity.