Prevention of Diabetes Mellitus

Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented with today's knowledge. Type 2 - the epidemic - very largely can, and prediabetes can be reversed. The toolkit is unglamorous and proven.

The proven big three

• Move 150 minutes a week: brisk walking counts - 30 minutes, 5 days a week, is the single most powerful diabetes prevention habit
• Lose 5-7% of body weight if overweight: in the landmark prevention studies, this modest loss cut progression by over half - more than any pill
• Eat for steady sugar: whole grains and millets, vegetables half the plate, whole fruit over juice, sugar-sweetened drinks to rare occasions

The India-specific wisdom

• Watch the waist, not just the weight: Indians develop diabetes at lower weights - a tightening belt is an earlier alarm than the scale
• Start young: type 2 now appears in the 30s - the time for these habits is the 20s and 30s, not after diagnosis
• Family history means testing: with a diabetic parent, a yearly sugar test from age 30 catches the reversible stage

The supporting habits

• Sleep 7-8 hours: chronic short sleep measurably worsens insulin resistance
• Manage stress: cortisol pushes sugar up; whatever genuinely unwinds you is diabetes prevention too
• No smoking: smokers develop diabetes more often, and complications faster
• After gestational diabetes: a sugar test 6-12 weeks after delivery, then every 1-3 years for life

One-line summary

Prevent type 2 diabetes with the proven trio - 150 weekly minutes of movement, 5-7% weight loss if overweight, and steady-sugar eating - plus waist-watching, early testing with family history, sleep, stress care and no smoking.