Secondary Prevention for Diabetes

Secondary prevention of diabetes takes a step beyond the community awareness efforts and education focus of primary preventative medicine. The goal of secondary prevention is to minimize the impact of a disease on the patient once it has been established. The key to its success is early detection and educating those with early stages of the disease on how to adjust lifestyle or where to seek treatment to beat diabetes.

Early Detection

• Getting the word out to those people who are at risk so that they will participate in diabetes screening is an important first step in secondary diabetes prevention. Go to a doctor to be screened for diabetes if you fall into one of the high-risk groups. For type one diabetes, the causes are largely unknown, but those with a history of the disease in their family are encouraged to be screened regularly. Type two diabetes risk groups include people who are obese, inactive, have a family history of type two diabetes, are over 45 years of age, have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome or those who are of African-American, Asian-American, Native American or Hispanic descent, according to the Mayo Clinic.
  If your doctor tests your glucose levels and determines you may have diabetes or pre-diabetes, they will refer you for further testing and try to assist you in getting the condition under control before it has negative effects on your life.

Diet Modification

• For those who are able to catch diabetes in its early stages, one of the first lifestyle changes that will be recommended is diet modification. Keep your pre-meal blood sugar between 70 and 130 and try not to let it climb beyond 180 after a meal, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. To accomplish this, for medium to large sized men and women who wish to lose weight, eat between 1600 and 2000 calories. The daily meal plan should aim to contain eight servings of starches, four vegetables, three fruits, two milks, four to six ounces of meat and up to four fats and sweets, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Lifestyle Modification

• Lifestyle modification is equally important in controlling and perhaps reversing the effects of diabetes.
  According to The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, people who maintain an active lifestyle through work, exercise or other physical activity develop impaired glucose tolerance and type two diabetes less often than those who do not. Active lifestyles also promote weight loss, which is key in the prevention of diabetes.

  Other important lifestyle changes for those at risk of diabetes include stopping smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, according to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.