Diabetes doesn’t occur far too suddenly. It develops over time. In fact, what you eat and your daily habits control your risk of diabetes. The truth is that every single thing you do, no matter how big or small, can make things worse for you.
There are four types of diabetes:
1. Type 1 diabetes
2. Type 2 diabetes
3. Gestational diabetes
Out of these, type 2 diabetes is the most common.
According to experts, severe cases of diabetes can lead to life-threatening problems like kidney damage, heart problems, and nerve damage. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that you reduce your chances of developing this chronic condition.
Here are 7 seemingly harmless things that increase your chances of developing diabetes:
1. Drinking coffee
You might wonder exactly how harmful can a cup of coffee be? Well, it doesn’t cause any harm instantly but over time, it might lead to the development of diabetes.
“One or two cups of coffee a day is fine but excessive consumption of coffee can lead to insulin resistance in the body. This causes a boost in the production of glucose which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes”, says Dr Vinoda Kumary, deputy chief medical officer, Jindal Naturecare Institute, Bangalore.
She added, “I would recommend that you should go for green tea or herbal tea to avoid the risk of diabetes.”
2. Sitting for long hours
We’re all guilty of this one! A majority of the day is spent sitting at the desk with our laptops or watching something on the TV.
According to a study published in the journal Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes), each hour spent sitting sedentary, be it to watch TV or work on your laptop, increases the risk of developing diabetes by 3.4 per cent.
3. Your gender
Being a woman isn’t an easy job and now, Dr Kumary has another heads-up for you.
“At every stage of life, women go through a number of hormonal changes. From menstruation and pregnancy to menopause, the body goes through a fair amount of hormonal fluctuations which impacts the insulin levels in your body. If you have PCOS, this problem can also lead to insulin resistance and eventually, diabetes”, she explained.
4. Lack of sun exposure
Most of us are vitamin D deficient since we hardly step out from our air-conditioned rooms. According to a study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, this might lead to diabetes.
How’s that going to happen? Well, this sunshine vitamin regulates the production of insulin in our bodies and its deficiency increases the blood glucose level which ultimately results in diabetes. The study also suggests that people who lack vitamin D tend to be obese which is another reason that increases the risk of diabetes.
Overeating means more calories which will eventually lead to obesity. Obesity is a condition that contributes to the development of diabetes.
6. Skipping strength training
Ladies, it’s time to lift up those dumbbells because strength training reduces the chances of diabetes. Harvard researchers have observed that strength training can bring a drop of 34 per cent in the chances of you developing diabetes.
“Snoring is related to obesity. Obesity leads to sleep apnea which results in stress and increases irritability. This leads to hormonal fluctuation which impacts insulin production, causing the development of diabetes”, she explained.
Who would have thought that these simple things can be a factor in the development of diabetes? So, take all these factors into consideration and make healthy lifestyle changes to ensure that you stay away from this metabolic disease.