{"id":3085,"date":"2023-05-15T00:20:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T13:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/2023\/05\/15\/type-2-diabetes-prevention\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T10:04:39","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T23:04:39","slug":"type-2-diabetes-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/type-2-diabetes-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Type 2 diabetes prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes is one of the biggest challenges facing Australia\u2019s health system, with 1.8 million Australians living with the condition and over 280 Australians diagnosed every day <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/diabetes-in-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health complications; such as blindness, amputations, kidney damage and heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is type 2 diabetes?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes accounts for 85-90% of all diabetes cases in Australia <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionaustralia.org\/fact-sheets\/diabetes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nutrition Australia<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and occurs when cells within the body become resistant to insulin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes is more common in older adults, but is on the rise among adolescents and children, and may be delayed or prevented through lifestyle changes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The symptoms that are commonly associated with type 2 diabetes are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeling thirsty\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeling tired<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeling hungry\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Needing to go to the toilet more to pass urine<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Infections, such as urinary tract or thrush<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skin rashes and\/or itching<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Headaches<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blurred vision<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cuts that heal slowly<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: Diabetes Victoria)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have these symptoms, it is strongly recommended that you consult your doctor. That way, you can be tested for type 2 diabetes. The earlier type 2 diabetes is detected, the easier it is to manage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who is at risk of type 2 diabetes?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While anyone can get type 2 diabetes and the direct cause is unknown, you are at highest risk if:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diagnosed with prediabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and aged 35 years and over<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pacific Islanders, Maori or Asian (including the Indian subcontinent, or of Chinese origin) descent and aged 35 years and over<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Middle Eastern, North African or Southern European descent\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aged 45 and over and obese or overweight, have high blood pressure or have a first-degree relative with type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cardiovascular disease history such as heart attack, angina, stroke, narrowed blood vessels<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and overweight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diagnosed gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ged 55 or over<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking certain antipsychotic medicine or corticosteroid medicine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can you prevent type 2 diabetes?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preventing type 2 diabetes may be possible through a healthy diet, exercise and weight management.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below, we\u2019ve listed some of the things you can do to prevent type 2 diabetes; from making changes to your diet and physical activity levels, to managing your blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintaining a healthy weight<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintaining a healthy weight lowers your risk of diabetes, as well as lowering your risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers. You can achieve this by making small changes to your diet such as reducing your portion sizes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have prediabetes, losing 5-10% of your current body weight can help prevent type 2 diabetes in nearly 6 out of 10 people <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular physical activity<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engaging in regular exercise not only plays an important role in a healthy lifestyle, it helps the prevention of type 2 diabetes in the following ways:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing insulin sensitivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintaining a healthy weight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lowering blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reducing risk of heart disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lowering stress levels<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For good health, you should be aiming for about 30 minutes of exercise every day. If this is not possible, then this time can be divided into 3 sessions (10 minutes each). You can break up exercise throughout the day. If you need to lose weight, 45-60 minutes everyday is encouraged instead <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/food-activity\/exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating a healthy diet<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good diet provides your body with optimal nutrients to improve your physical health and prevent type 2 diabetes. To stay healthy, aim for consistently eating a balanced diet that includes all five of the food groups according to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatforhealth.gov.au\/guidelines\/australian-guide-healthy-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australian Guide to Healthy Eating<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vegetables and legumes\/beans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and\/or high fibre cereal varieties<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes\/beans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and\/or alternatives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fruit<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, aim for portion sizes that are enough to satisfy your hunger.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing blood pressure<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High blood pressure is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as well as stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease and nerve damage. The steps you can take to reduce blood pressure include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stopping smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Losing excess weight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Performing regular physical activity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have less salt intake in your diet and\/or reduce processed foods<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limiting alcohol consumption<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to have your blood pressure checked at every doctor\u2019s visit, at least:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every 6 months for people with normal blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every 3 months for people with high blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every 4-8 weeks if your blood pressure medication is being changed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Source: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/living-with-diabetes\/preventing-complications\/blood-pressure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes Australia<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Life<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! program help prevent type 2 diabetes?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes! the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em> <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">program offers a variety of tools that can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. For example, their online <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/#health-check\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">health check<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps you assess your risk of type 2 diabetes with a simple form that takes only 3 minutes to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a free healthy lifestyle program that helps you improve your eating habits, increase your physical activity and manage stress. You can choose from a group course or the Telephone Health Coaching service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our experienced health professionals will help you make small changes to your lifestyle so that you can achieve your health goals and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.\u00a0 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is funded by the Victorian government and managed by Diabetes Victoria. You can check your eligibility for the program <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/learn-about-life\/#am-i-eligible\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button teal\" href=\"#health-check\">Take the health check<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sources<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/diabetes-in-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/diabetes-in-australia\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/prevention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/about-diabetes\/prevention\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/food-activity\/exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/food-activity\/exercise\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/living-with-diabetes\/preventing-complications\/blood-pressure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.diabetesaustralia.com.au\/living-with-diabetes\/preventing-complications\/blood-pressure\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionaustralia.org\/fact-sheets\/diabetes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/nutritionaustralia.org\/fact-sheets\/diabetes\/<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Reviewers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/elleni-kaias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elleni Kaias<\/a>, Accredited Practicing Dietitian | Primary Care Engagement Lead<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/kristie-cocotis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kristie Cocotis<\/a>, Head of Prevention and Health Promotion<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sarah-dub%C3%A9-57861660\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sarah <\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW248055663 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-AU\" xml_lang=\"EN-AU\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW248055663 BCX0\">Dub\u00e9, Strategy and Engagement Lead<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/in\/ria-cheripuram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ria Cheripuram<\/a>, Digital Communications Officer<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/in\/tegankohlman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tegan Kohlman<\/a>, Communications and Social Marketing Officer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diabetes is one of the biggest challenges facing Australia\u2019s health system, with 1.8 million Australians living with the condition and over 280 Australians diagnosed every day (Source: Diabetes Australia).\u00a0 If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health complications; such as blindness, amputations, kidney damage and heart disease. What is type 2 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes accounts for 85-90% of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3882,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3085\/revisions\/3882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}