Steps Women Can Take to Reduce Their Diabetes Risk

Type 2 diabetes can be especially deadly for women, especially minority women who are more likely to have type 2 diabetes. The prevalence is two to four times higher among women who are African American, Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian/Pacific Islander, the CDC says.

Over the last 30 years, death rates associated with heart disease have decreased 27 percent in women without diabetes, and women with type 2 diabetes have seen an alarming 23 percent increase, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

"That's already a stunning figure, but we anticipate the number is going to grow even more unless women change their behaviors," says Cathy Tibbetts, R.N., M.P.H., a certified diabetes educator in Arlington, Va.

Lifestyle changes

What behaviors do women need to change? Basically, the big two: eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle.

"Women are eating out more often and eating more high-fat, high-calorie foods in larger portions; and they're also less physically active than they should be," Tibbetts says.

Being overweight is directly linked to developing type 2 diabetes, and as Americans' weights have soared in recent decades, so has the prevalence of the disease.

American women have a 39 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes at some time in their lives, according to researchers at the CDC. Diabetes also can have serious effects on both mother and child during pregnancy.

Understanding diabetes

When someone has diabetes, the body can't produce or efficiently use the hormone insulin, which is needed to transport blood sugar from the blood into the body's cells to be used for energy. As a result, blood sugar levels remain dangerously high. Without usable sugar, the body lacks the energy it needs to function and stay healthy.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood through early adulthood. Type 2 is much more common. Up to 95 percent of women with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. It usually develops after age 45 but is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adolescents. It's far better to do what you can to prevent type 2 diabetes or to identify it as early as possible than wait until symptoms develop. Early detection and treatment can help avoid serious complications of diabetes, such as stroke, heart and kidney problems, blindness, or foot or leg amputation. Among people with diabetes who have had a heart attack, women have lower survival rates than men. And women are at a greater risk for blindness from diabetes than are men.

Steps women can take

You should find out if you're at risk. Men and women alike should be tested for type 2 diabetes by age 45 and receive additional tests every three years after receiving a normal result, according to the National Institutes of Health. Ask your health care provider how soon and how often you should be tested, depending on your personal risk factors.

You're at increased risk for diabetes if you:

• Are age 45 or older

• Have a family history of the disease

• Are more than 20 percent overweight

• Are in a high-risk ethnic group

• Have a history of diabetes during pregnancy or have delivered a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

• Have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are above normal but not yet in the diabetes range

The more risk factors you have, the higher your chance of getting diabetes.

If it turns out that you're at risk, be a team player. "It's important to work with your health care provider to develop lifestyle habits that will lower your risk," Tibbetts says.

Tell your obstetrician if you're at risk. In 2 to 5 percent of all pregnancies, the expectant mother develops gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that can pose serious health risks to both the pregnant woman and her unborn child—everything from high blood pressure and kidney infections to spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, and birth defects. Most obstetricians/gynecologists screen women for diabetes during the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy.

"But it's still important for a mother who knows she's at risk for diabetes to communicate her risk to the obstetrician," Tibbetts says. "The good news is, if expectant mothers work closely with their health care providers to keep their blood sugar close to normal, the risk for complications to themselves and their babies drops dramatically."

Nutrition and exercise

You should eat better and exercise more. These two changes alone may prevent diabetes or delay its onset and complications, Tibbetts says. "Focus on the balance between energy input—the amount of food you're eating—and energy output, which is physical activity," she says.

Learn to eat a well-balanced diet that's low in fat and simple sugars. Balance what you eat with the amount of physical activity you get each day. If you are overweight, lose weight. Even a modest weight loss can reduce your risk for diabetes. Ideally, you should maintain a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 25. If your BMI is 25 or higher, make an effort through diet and exercise to get it within that range.

Find things you enjoy doing that will help you be more physically active. Exercise not only helps prevent or delay diabetes, it also helps you control your weight and makes you feel better.

Getting more exercise doesn't just mean going to the gym, Tibbetts says. "Walk around while you're talking on a portable phone, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or consider parking a little farther away from work than you normally do," she says. "Small steps add up to big differences. Choose a fun physical activity you enjoy—tennis, walking the dog, whatever is pleasurable."

Women who take up these healthful habits serve as good role models.

"Our children watch what we snack on, and they watch if we enjoy being outside and physically active," Tibbetts says. "Children are at higher risk for diabetes than ever before. It's important for a mother to provide these teachable moments for her children, so they can learn to take care of their own health for the rest of their lives."