Know Your Risk<\/a>\u2019 assessment to find out what could be jeopardising your health.<\/p>\nHow to reduce your chances of prediabetes Watch your waist<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re overweight or living with obesity, cutting your weight by just 5% can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
Get moving<\/p>\n
A sedentary lifestyle, even without other risk factors, is closely linked to prediabetes. Where activity is concerned, every little helps \u2013 get off the bus a stop earlier, take a walk at lunchtime, use a standing desk or join a walking group. The best exercise is the kind you\u2019ll stick with.<\/p>\n
Choose unrefined foods<\/p>\n
Refined carbs (sugary and processed foods, white bread\/ flour\/pasta etc) can actively increase your risk, so choose wholegrains and fruits and vegetables instead.<\/p>\n
Consider when you eat<\/p>\n
For a long time, I have practised a form of intermittent fasting called time-restricted eating \u2013 I only eat during a six-to-eight-hour period each 24 hours. Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and, if you major on unrefined foods and adequate protein (I have lots of beans, pulses, veg and wholegrains), you really don\u2019t feel hungry once you\u2019re used to it.<\/p>\n
Take control <\/p>\n
If you are diagnosed with prediabetes, you\u2019re eligible for the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, a nine-month lifestyle change course. There\u2019s a choice of face-to-face groups or a digital service, and you\u2019ll receive personalised support to make healthier diet choices, get more active and manage your weight. People who complete the programme cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than a third. Speak to your GP surgery to find out more.<\/p>\n
Why do midlife midriff and menopause matter? <\/p>\n
Carrying extra weight around your middle means fat can build up around your organs, such as your pancreas and liver. This can cause insulin resistance, where your body doesn\u2019t respond properly to insulin\u2019s signals to let glucose into your cells to provide energy. And that increases your chance of having high blood glucose (sugar). <\/p>\n
An increase in weight around the middle of your body is commonly noticed around the menopause, a time when levels of the important female hormone oestrogen drop. There\u2019s a link between oestrogen and type 2 diabetes, too. Oestrogen stimulates cells that line the blood vessels to deliver insulin to your muscles \u2013 and this lowers your blood sugar and reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. <\/p>\n
After the menopause, the level of male androgen hormones in your body increases. Unfortunately, these androgens also promote the tendency to develop fat deep inside your tummy. <\/p>\n
Even if you don\u2019t put on weight around the menopause, you\u2019re almost five times more likely to develop \u2018abdominal obesity\u2019 than before the menopause. Some of the androgens your body continues to produce after menopause are naturally converted into oestrogen, but this doesn\u2019t seem to offer the same protection against type 2 diabetes. <\/p>\n
As a result, it\u2019s important that you try to ensure your overall weight and body mass index (BMI) are within the healthy range. But even if they are, you may still be at risk of type 2 diabetes if you have a large waist measurement. <\/p>\n
For a healthy measurement, you need to aim for your waist to be less than: 80cm (31.5in) for all women; 94cm (37in) for most men; or 90cm (35in) for South Asian men.<\/p>\n
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