People like to predict things – and sometimes they are incredibly accurate. In 1909, Nikola Tesla, former right-hand man of Thomas Edison, told the New York Times: “It will soon be possible to broadcast wireless messages around the world so easily that everyone can carry and use their own devices.”
The new predictions about your health risks from prediabetes are just as visionary. A study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session looked at the health outcomes of more than 25,000 people ages 18-104 and found that 18% of people with prediabetes had serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and Stroke, occurred 11% of people with normal blood sugar levels.
“Based on our data, the likelihood of a serious adverse cardiovascular event with prediabetes has almost doubled,” says Dr. Adrian Michel, first author of the study. “Instead of preventing diabetes, we need to shift focus and prevent prediabetes.”
There are four steps you can take to prevent prediabetes – or, if diagnosed, reverse it, or at least reduce the additional risks.
1. Eat a plant-based diet and eat five to nine servings of fruits, vegetables, and grains as well as animal protein from oily fish such as salmon and skinless poultry.
2. Avoid added sugars, syrups, and highly processed foods.
3. Move a lot – 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent; do strength training exercises regularly.
4. Manage your stress response (and blood sugar) by getting a good night’s sleep and using stress relief techniques such as meditation.
Mehmet Oz, MD is the host of “The Dr. Oz Show ”and Mike Roizen, MD is Chief Wellness Officer Emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic. To live the healthiest life, turn on “The Dr. Oz Show ”or visit www.sharecare.com.