Article Body:
A few months ago (March 2005), the American Diabetes Association announced the findings of the great Diabetes Prevention Program. The DPP was conducted at over 25 medical centers nationwide and involved thousands of participants who volunteered to possess their habits monitored and to follow dietary and exercise recommendations. All participants had been diagnosed with 'pre-diabetes', a condition where the blood glucose levels are above normal, but not yet in diabetic ranges. Untreated, quite half those people diagnosed with pre-diabetes will develop full-blown type 2 diabetes within a decade.
For the study, the participants were divided into two groups. One half got dietary recommendations. the opposite half got an equivalent dietary recommendations, plus the advice to exercise a minimum of half-hour daily, five times every week .
The results? those that included daily exercise in their routines and followed the diet recommendations cut their risk of developing diabetes by 58%. The reason? those that made the recommended changes in their lifestyle lost 'a moderate amount' of weight. Even more important, researchers found something that they didn't expect. Those within the treatment group had a considerable chance of reducing their blood glucose level to normal, something that had been assumed was impossible.
Apparently, losing weight not only prevents a worsening of diabetes, it reverses the damage that obesity causes to the cells that produce insulin.
How much weight loss does it fancy have an impact on the progression of diabetes? The key's within the definition of 'a moderate weight loss' - 5-7% of your weight . In other words, counting on your boy weight, a loss of as little as 7-10 pounds can make a difference!
The recommendations suggested by the American Diabetes Society for a healthy diet to stop diabetes is a perfect diet for steady, gradual weight loss - the type of weight loss that stays lost. The diet includes the subsequent suggested daily diet allowances:
* Grain - 6-11 servings per day (Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta)
* Vegetables - 3-5 servings per day
* Fruits - 2-4 servings per day
* Milk - 2-3 servings per day
* Meat - 4-6 ounces per day (Meat, eggs, fish, dried beans, nuts and peanut butter)
* Fats, Sweets, Alcohol - Occasional treats
(Recommendations for portions are supported gender and activity level. as an example , a sedentary 40 year old woman needs fewer portions than a lively 25-year-old woman.)
Look familiar? it is also the dietary recommendation for the guts Healthy diet from the American Heart Association, and therefore the recommendations from the USDA's new MyPyramid. The results just keep coming in, but the message is clear: losing weight, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a diet can help prevent most major health problems. Why wait till you're diagnosed? Start today - and it's going to never happen.