Prevent Diabetes to Add Years to Your Life

by: AWHONN Editorial Staff

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Prevent Diabetes to Add Years to Your Life

Researchers from the West Virginia University School of Public Health have stumbled upon a Holy Grail of sorts that promises to add quality years to your lifespan simply by living a lifestyle that prevents diabetes from ever developing. For most women who are overweight or obese, that means abandoning the typical low-exercise, low-quality western diet in favor of being more active and eating healthfully.

Researchers suggested you could add at least 4 or more “quality” disease-free years to an average lifespan just by:

  • Losing 5%-7% of your weight—which is about 10 pounds if you’re tipping the scale near 200
  • Healthy eating and getting more active 
  • Managing stress and solving problems that hinder progress
  • Getting support from people with goals like yours

Avoiding diabetes means slowing the effects of the burden of living with diabetes, the complication of which include stroke, neuropathy (loss of feeling/sensation) and even amputation, say experts at the CDC.  

Visit our Healthy Mom section for many more article on keeping healthy

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AWHONN Editorial Staff