Being overweight is by far the most important causal factor in diabetes. Taking regular exercise and having a healthy diet also help… but weight is key!
And don’t blame your genes… of course genes can play a part, but if you do have genes for overweight then it is still your responsibility to work all the harder at keeping your weight down.
Check your weight against the table of ‘desirable weight’ available in every pharmacy. Better still ask a pharmacist to calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) and work at getting this between 18.5 and 25… and keep it there! Overweight is simply due to eating more food than you need! Try to develop the habit of feeling at the end of each meal that you would have liked a little more, rather than feeling very full after each meal.
Source:
- 1. Healthy Lifestyles Reduce the Incidence of Chronic Diseases and Dementia: Evidence from the Caerphilly Cohort Study. 2013: PLOS ONE: December 09, 2013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081877
- 2. Hu FB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Colditz G, Liu S, Solomon CG, Willett WC (2001) Diet, lifestyle, and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. N Engl J Med 345: 790-797.
