Why It’s Important to Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects your body’s ability to use blood glucose (sugar). If uncontrolled, diabetes results in excessively high levels of blood glucose. Over time, high blood glucose levels damage vital organs and cause serious complications, which include:

• Cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack and stroke
• Kidney damage which could lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease that may require dialysis or a kidney transplant
• Eye damage that increases your risk for cataract and glaucoma, and may lead to blindness
• Nerve damage
• Foot damage that may ultimately require toe, foot or leg amputation
• Skin conditions, such as fungal and bacterial infections
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Hearing impairment
• Depression 

Moreover, people with diabetes are more likely to develop severe COVID-19. Their treatment also becomes more difficult due to fluctuations in blood glucose levels and the possible presence of diabetes complications such as heart and kidney disease, among others. High blood sugar levels can also worsen inflammation (internal swelling) in people with diabetes who get sick with COVID-19. In turn, the increased inflammation could cause more severe complications.

The good news is you can take steps to prevent or lower your risk for diabetes:

• Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity a day on most days of the week.
• Eat healthy. Eat a daily diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, and whole grains. 
• Lose excess weight. If you’re overweight, shedding just 7% of your body weight can reduce your risk of diabetes by 60%. 
• Talk to your doctor about taking supplements. A number of herbal and dietary supplements have been shown to help lower blood sugar. These include green tea, bitter melon, cinnamon, chromium, vitamin B1, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, and resveratrol.

Consult your doctor for more information on diabetes prevention. 

Shop at Watsons for your diabetes medications and dietary supplements..

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-basics. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.idf.org/aboutdiabetes/what-is-diabetes/covid-19-and-diabetes/1-covid-19-and-diabetes.html. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.diabetes.org/coronavirus-covid-19/how-coronavirus-impacts-people-with-diabetes. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-prevention/art-20047639. Accessed 13 October 2021
https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/herbs-supplements. Accessed 24 November 2021