Reducing the Risk of Diabetes

A good diet, regular exercise and annual checkups can lower risks.

Written by Melissa Bean Sterzick

Adults in the United States have a 40% chance of developing type 2 diabetes. It sounds serious, but many cases of diabetes can be prevented with knowledge, annual medical checkups, and good habits including a balanced diet and regular exercise. Torrance Memorial Physician Network’s Krixie Silangcruz, MD, a board-certified primary care physician specializing in internal medicine, says a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risks of diabetes and improve overall health.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder that disrupts the way the body uses sugar. All of the cells in the body need sugar to work normally. Sugar gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. Insulin is made by the pancreas, an organ in the abdomen. If there is not enough insulin—or if the body stops responding to insulin—sugar builds up in the blood. Prediabetes is when a person's blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes:

• Type 1: The pancreas does not make insulin or makes very little insulin.
• Type 2: The body stops responding to insulin normally and over time the pancreas stops making enough insulin.

What are the symptoms and warning signs of diabetes?

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes include intense thirst, feeling very tired, urinating often, losing weight without trying and blurred vision. In extreme cases, type 1 diabetes can also cause nausea or vomiting, belly pain and panting. Type 2 diabetes usually causes no symptoms. When symptoms do happen, they include needing to urinate often, intense thirst and blurry vision. Other symptoms that could mean you have diabetes include having numb or tingling hands or feet, feeling very tired, having very dry skin or being slow to heal.

What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?

A few things can increase your risk, including:

• Having excess body weight or obesity, especially extra belly area weight
• Not getting enough physical activity
• Smoking
• Having a close relative with diabetes
• Having diabetes during pregnancy, called gestational diabetes

Can individuals reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

Yes. To lower your chances of getting prediabetes or diabetes, the most important things are eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of physical activity. These can help you lose weight if you have excess body weight. But eating well and being active are also good for your overall health, whether or not they lead to weight loss. Even gentle activity, like walking, has benefits. If you smoke, quitting can also lower your risk.

How is diabetes treated?

The goals of treatment are to manage your blood sugar and lower the risk of future problems that can happen in people with diabetes.

Lifestyle changes: This important part of managing diabetes includes eating healthy foods and getting plenty of physical activity.

Medicine: Some people need to take pills that help the body make more insulin or help insulin do its job. Others need insulin shots or pumps.

General medical care: It's also important to take care of other areas of your health including monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Keeping up with vaccines, such as flu and COVID-19, are also important. 

Though adults in the U.S. overall have a 40% chance of developing type 2 diabetes, minority groups, such as Black Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans, have a higher risk of diabetes and diabetes complications; for example, adult Latinos have a 50% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and are likely to develop the disease at a younger age. Diabetes complications such as kidney failure and diabetes-related vision loss and blindness are also worse for minority groups

If you have prediabetes, you’re at higher risk for getting type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease and stroke. Resources available at Torrance Memorial include:

• The Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support program
• Torrance Memorial’s diabetes and endocrinology specialty
• The medical nutrition therapy program at Torrance Memorial
• The Torrance Memorial CORE4 12-week adult weight management program