Put diabetes on hold

However, the human costs are much higher: diabetes can steal up to 10 - 15 years from your life expectancy, not to mention the complications it can cause like kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage. Each year, diabetes is a contributing factor in 41,500 deaths in Canada, and 80 per cent of people with diabetes will die of a stroke or heart disease.

But let's forget the scary numbers for a moment because there is something we can do about the statistics. Ninety per cent of all cases are type-2 diabetes -- where your body doesn't produce enough insulin to process glucose (our body's "fuel") or it can't properly use the insulin it does make. This condition develops in adulthood, and our chances of getting it are heavily influenced by our everyday lifestyle choices.

Still need proof? A recent study from the US-based Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group shows that diet and exercise can ward of diabetes for as much as a decade. During the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) involving 3000 participants who were at high risk, researchers discovered that participants who followed a healthy diet (aimed at weight loss) and exercised regularly reduced their risk of diabetes by 58 per cent. The effects were also long-lasting -- in the years following the study, participants in the diet and exercise group had a lower risk even if they didn't maintain those healthy lifestyle choices.(Read the abstract here.)

Once you have type-2 diabetes, there's no going back. The condition can't be cured or reversed, and can get worse over time as it becomes more difficult to manage blood glucose levels (or blood sugar levels). However, if you can identify the first signs of trouble, you can help stop type-2 diabetes before it starts.