Diabetes has many risk factors associated with it. Keep track of your risk factors and keep them in check. Here are four risk factors that can be controlled with the right change in lifestyle.
#1. Hypertension
Hypertension, or more commonly known as high blood pressure, has been known to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Like with obesity, there is a relation between high blood pressure and insulin resistance. Diabetes and hypertension is a common combination.
#2. Lack of physical activity
This is another risk factor for diabetes and diabetes that can be kept under control. Losing weight and exercising is an excellent way to stave off type 2 diabetes, reduce hypertension, and help decrease the risk of diabetes. Any type of moderate to intensive exercise is beneficial. In fact, there’s evidence of how taking a walk after eating may also be beneficial, read about it in another post of mine. So, grab you iPod and go for a walk!
#3. Obesity
This is probably the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is strongly related to insulin resistance and other risk factors like high blood pressure. Losing weight can have an important impact in controlling the risk of diabetes and increase insulin sensitivity.
#4. Abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
Cholesterol is divided into two: LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and HDL (“Good”) cholesterol. A patient with diabetes will usually have high LDL, low HDL and high triglycerides. This triad of unhealthy lipid counts is also associated with insulin resistance.
