Monday, July 9, 2012

HEALTH SPECIAL..DR SPEAK..Keep diabetes at bay

Keep diabetes at bay 
* Follow scientifically proven diets for diabetes prevention. Several meal plans promise to balance sugar levels forever, but only a few have been scientifically shown to succeed. Keep your doctor informed when changing your diet.

* Maintain your weight in normal limits of body mass index (BMI) and abdominal circumference. Excess weight makes it harder for the body to use insulin for controlling blood sugar. If you are overweight, shedding even a few kilograms can improve the body’s ability to use insulin and prevent the rise of blood sugar.

* Body Mass Index (the ratio, in metre-square, of how large you are with respect to your height) must be kept between 19-23. Waist circumference should be less than 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women.

* Exercise every day for 45-60 minutes. Get physically active and strengthen your body to handle blood glucose. This is the key to diabetes prevention.

* A total of 60 minutes of exercise is optimal: 30 minutes of scheduled exercise (walking, light sports, dancing or swimming), 15 minutes of walking or a similar activity at the workplace, and 15 minutes of resistance exercise with small weights of 1-5 kg.

* Even a 10-minute walk before dinner can help maintain the liver’s glucose outpouring at night.

Anti-diabetes foods
* High-fibre foods (raw fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cereals. Include at least five to six servings of fruits and vegetables every day).

* Omega-3 fatty acids (fish, salmon, sardines), fish oil (cod liver oil), flaxseeds, walnuts, soybean or tofu, canola or mustard oil.

* Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, olive oil, canola/ mustard oil)

* Have cinnamon in powdered form every day, but not more than a quarter or a half teaspoon since it causes irritation in the stomach. Fenugreek seeds can be consumed as powder or whole seeds, in consultation with a doctor (not recommended during pregnancy).

(Dr Anoop Misra: Dr Misra is chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology)

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