Diabetes Treatment: insulin, balanced diet, exercise – Doctor

Diabetes Management - Treatments

Treatment and Lifestyle Changes

Type I diabetes will require a regular dose of insulin, as prescribed by a doctor.

Mild Type II diabetes may be controlled through diet and exercise, with little or no medicine. However, most Type II diabetes will eventually require oral medications to control the blood sugar level, and possibly insulin injection in the later stage of the disease.

The basic treatment strategy is to maintain good control over the amount of glucose in your blood, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and watch your weight. These will prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus.

A balanced diet – You should avoid foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats such as animal fats, whole milk products, eggs, red meat such as beef and lamb, coconut milk and palm oil. Instead, choose lean meat, fish and low-fat dairy products and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Watch your sugar intake as well, opting for foods and drinks that are less sweet.
Exercise regularly – It is important that you exercise at least three times a week. Although there are many kinds of physical activities you can do, walking is one of the best forms of exercise. Check with your doctor on which types of physical activities are suitable for you.
Watch your weight – Calculate your Body Mass Index [BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m) x Height (m)], which will give you a good idea of whether you are keeping a healthy weight. A healthy range should be between 18.5 and 22.9. The ratio for waist and hip [Waist (cm) / Hip (cm)] is also important, which should be less than 1. Women should aim for a waist of 80cm and men less than 90cm.

BMI and waist circumference serve as convenient and fairly accurate measures of body fat. If the BMI is high but the waist circumference is normal, as with bodybuilders, there is no worry of excess body fat. If the BMI is normal but the waist circumference is large, as with men who have little fat around the face and arms but carry a potbelly, there is a worry of excessive intra-abdominal fat that carries a higher risk of coronary artery disease.

The ratio for waist and hip (waist/hip) is also important. It should be less than 1. Women should aim for a waist of 80cm and less than 90cm for men.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Classification by Public Health Action in Asians

Body mass index = Weight (kg)/ Height (m) x Height (m)