HealthSigns - Spring 2010 - (Page 7)

A Link Between Obesity and Diabetes Watching what you eat can reduce your diabetes risk by 58 percent The power to reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes is entirely in your hands—and your mouth. Along with regular exercise, watching what you eat is the best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight, while avoiding a diabetes diagnosis. Vida Reed, R.N., a Washington Hospital certified diabetes educator, offers some sensible strategies. Why is maintaining a healthy weight important for people who want to prevent type 2 diabetes, or for those who already have it? A study called the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that people at high risk for diabetes could reduce that risk by more than 58 percent over a three-year period by losing 5 to 7 percent of their total body weight. In the study, this was done by following a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet and exercising 30 minutes per day, five days a week. It’s also easier to manage diabetes if you’re at a healthy weight. What is a healthy weight? This is a good question to discuss with your doctor. When considering a healthy weight, many factors should be considered, including height, body frame, activity level, ethnicity, age, current health status, and gender. What kind of eating plan is the best way to lose weight, especially for people with diabetes? Vida Reed, R.N., a Washington Hospital certified diabetes educator, teaches people the skills needed to control diabetes for a lifetime. Whether you are newly diagnosed, have had diabetes for years or you are pregnant and have diabetes, Washington Hospital’s Diabetes Program can help you. Q & A Develop a meal plan that incorporates all food groups and includes the lowest-fat choices in each group (such as fish instead of red meat for protein). Choose nutritious foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Watch your calorie intake, control portion sizes—try using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate so you take smaller servings—and keep your consumption of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of your daily calories. Can certain kinds of diets be bad for your health? Weight-loss plans that promise rapid weight loss—or that encourage avoidance of entire food groups, which can deprive you of nutrients you need for overall good health—should be evaluated carefully. Low-carb diets, which are very high in protein, may promote kidney problems. For most people, losing weight at the rate of one-half to two pounds per week is reasonable. Before starting any weight-loss program, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. FREE DIABETES CLASS Whether you are newly diagnosed, have had diabetes for years or are pregnant and have diabetes, we are here for you. Learn more about diabetes at Diabetes Matters, a FREE class at Washington Hospital held on the first Thursday of each month in the Conrad E. Anderson, M.D., Auditorium in the Washington West building, 2500 Mowry Ave. A lecture is held from 7 to 8 p.m. and the support group meets from 8 to 9 p.m. Call 510-745-6556 or visit whhs.com/diabetes for more information. SPRING 2010 http://www.whhs.com/diabetes

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HealthSigns - Spring 2010

Health Signs - Spring 2010
What Do Your Genes Hold?
The Future of Your Community Hospital
Computerized System Helps Organize Patients’ Medications
These Physicians Used Gamma Knife Technologyto Save a Woman With 24 Brain Tumors
FREE Diabetes Class

HealthSigns - Spring 2010