Effects of What You Eat and Drink on Diabetes
Coffee may lower your risk for diabetes complications
If you have diabetes or prediabetes, you may know that you are at a high risk for eye problems. You are most likely to have trouble with your vision if you have a high blood glucose level, and a high A1C can even lead to blindness over time. But a recent study from Cornell Universityhas found that something as simple as drinking coffee every day could lower your risk for vision problems. The researchers believe that coffee may keep your retinas healthy, which in turn could protect your eyesight for many years.
Is a low-carb diet better than a low-fat diet for diabetes?
It is important to work with a healthcare provider you trust to make a healthy diabetes meal plan that you can stick with long-term. If you don’t think your current plan is helping you meet your health goals, you might want to talk to him or her about a study that was recently published in the Annals of Medicine. Researchers in Sweden found that people with type 2 diabetes lowered inflammation and had better health outcomes when they followed a low-carb diet, compared to a low-fat diet. This does not mean you should definitely eat fewer carbs every day, but if you’d like to try it out, speak with your healthcare provider first.
Exercise before eating may help improve blood glucose levels
If you’re getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day and still having trouble controlling your blood glucose levels, there might be a better way. A study published in the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes found that short, intense activity sessions before meals could help people with insulin resistance and diabetes control their blood glucose after they eat. Post-meal insulin spikes are a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but it looks like they can be controlled with short bursts of exercise – like jumping on a trampoline, doing sprints, or heavy weight lifting – before meals.
Great news for people with diabetes who need kidney transplants
People with diabetes and prediabetes have a higher risk of kidney problems, some of which may lead them to need kidney transplants. While the surgery used to be very dangerous for people with diabetes, a new study published in the journal Kidney International has found that they are just as likely to survive a kidney transplant as people who do not have diabetes. This might be because we now have better ways of controlling blood glucose and blood pressure levels.
?
More reasons to eat fruit and vegetables every day
New research published in the medical journal Stroke has shown that eating more fruit and vegetables may lower the risk of stroke for people all over the world. In addition, the researchers noted that high fruit and vegetable intake can reduce belly fat, improve cholesterol levels, lower inflammation, lower blood pressure levels, and improve BMI (body mass index). The American Heart Association suggests that adults should eat 5 servings of fruit, and 5 servings of vegetables a day to get all the vitamins, minerals and fiber they need to avoid strokes and other health problems.